Luka Doncic is breaking new ground with his performances for Slovenia at the Olympic Games, according to Japan coach Julio Lamas.
Slovenia have two wins from two in Pool C, with Doncic dominating against both Argentina and, on Thursday, hosts Japan.
The Dallas Mavericks superstar had 48 points on his Games debut and added 25 more in the 116-81 defeat of Japan, as well as seven rebounds, seven assists, two blocks and two steals.
These performances follow on from another outstanding NBA season, in which Doncic scored 27.7 points per game in the regular season – sixth-most in the league – and improved further in the playoffs.
Doncic's only two postseason series to date have been defeats to the Los Angeles Clippers, but he has now averaged 33.5 points in 13 games – no player in the history of the NBA has scored more per game in 13 career playoff games or more.
The 22-year-old's immense talent has translated superbly to the international stage, too, with Lamas describing Slovenia as "a very complete team with one amazing player". They have won all 15 games he has played for his country in all competitions.
"Doncic is one of the best four or five players in the world right now, even in the NBA," Lamas said.
"But he plays very comfortable in FIBA with the spaces and the rules – he dominates, too. Some other NBA players feel uncomfortable sometimes in FIBA. He is not.
"It's not easy to have a plan [against Doncic] because he is excellent in all the game situations. He can score driving, shooting or post-up and he creates the game for all the other players.
"I don't see in the last 30 years one player dominate the game like he has in this tournament.
"It's not nice [to face Doncic]. When you lose, you're never happy. But I think it's a good experience to play one time against him. I will remember."
Argentina coach Sergio Hernandez, the last man to attempt to halt Doncic, described him as "the best player in the world", and his Slovenia team-mates agreed after another show of strength.
"He's our leader," said Jaka Blazic. "For me, he's the best player at the Olympics and also in the world. We just follow him, everybody knows his role and that's important in a winning team."
Zoran Dragic, who played with Doncic's father Sasa for Slovan, added: "It's crazy, because when I was playing I was playing with his father, too, he was like six, seven years old, and now he's one of the best players in the world.
"I'm happy that I can witness and play with him. He's such an awesome guy and, especially, it's so easy to play with him because he is just an unbelievable person and basketball player. We can be all happy that he's Slovenian."
Spurs say head coach Popovich had mild stroke
The San Antonio Spurs announced on Wednesday that Gregg Popovich has been away from the team due to a mild stroke the Hall of Fame head coach suffered earlier this month.
The 75-year-old Popovich suffered the stroke on November 2 at San Antonio’s arena before the Spurs faced the Minnesota Timberwolves.
San Antonio initially said Popovich would not coach that night because of an undisclosed illness.
Popovich has started a rehabilitation program and is expected to make a full recovery, the Spurs said Wednesday.
“During this time, the organisation is grateful to the extended community for providing privacy and space to the Popovich family,” the team said in a release.
Mike Johnson has taken over as head coach and led San Antonio to a 3-3 record after the Spurs opened 2-3 under Popovich.
Popovich is the NBA's all-time leader with 1,393 victories and has won five NBA titles while coaching San Antonio since the 1996-97 season.
Spurs says head coach Popovich had mild stroke
The San Antonio Spurs announced on Wednesday that Gregg Popovich has been away from the team due to a mild stroke the Hall of Fame head coach suffered earlier this month.
The 75-year-old Popovich suffered the stroke on November 2 at San Antonio’s arena before the Spurs faced the Minnesota Timberwolves.
San Antonio initially said Popovich would not coach that night because of an undisclosed illness.
Popovich has started a rehabilitation program and is expected to make a full recovery, the Spurs said Wednesday.
“During this time, the organisation is grateful to the extended community for providing privacy and space to the Popovich family,” the team said in a release.
Mike Johnson has taken over as head coach and led San Antonio to a 3-3 record after the Spurs opened 2-3 under Popovich.
Popovich is the NBA's all-time leader with 1,393 victories and has won five NBA titles while coaching San Antonio since the 1996-97 season.
Kerr recalls 'surreal' Thompson moment ahead of Curry reunion
Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr expressed deep emotions regarding Klay Thompson's return to the Bay Area, this time as a member of the Dallas Mavericks.
Thompson finished with 22 points in an emotional return to Chase Center for the first time since he departed, though former team-mate Steph Curry stole the show.
Curry scored 37 points, including Golden State's final 12, to rally the Warriors past the Mavericks 120-117 in the NBA Cup on Tuesday.
Thompson spent 13 successful years with Kerr in San Francisco, winning four NBA Championships.
After the game, Kerr revealed the surreal moment between himself and Curry before he went out to meet with his former “Splash Brother” Thompson.
"We went over our pre-game scout and the matchups,” Kerr said. “It was almost surreal saying, ‘Steph, you got Klay.’ Steph smiled.”
In Thompson’s time in California, he was part of the core alongside Curry and Draymond Green, who also helped to bring so much success to the team.
However, Thompson missed more than two years after suffering back-to-back injuries.
First, an ACL tear and then a torn right Achilles tendon – before making a return in January 2022, with Kerr lauding his resilience to come back to the sport.
“I think what he overcame is almost unprecedented,” Kerr told reporters.
“The last couple of years after he came back, he struggled reconciling all of that, losing those prime seasons. We all saw that, saw him struggle with it emotionally.
"We saw him fight to get his game back. He helped us win a championship, led the league in threes two years ago, he did a lot of amazing things.
“We wished that this had gone forever, that Klay would have finished his career with us, but circumstances always dictate these things.
"In the end, I think he made the right choice. He was not happy and that was hard to see, because he deserves to be happy. At his core, he’s a very happy person.”
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