Last night, Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks had a pre-season friendly match with Real Madrid Basket – where he had been since he was 13 years old until moving to the NBA.
The Slovenian ball defender received a very warm welcome when returning to his old home. About 13,000 Madrid fans were present at the arena to watch Doncic face his old team.
Before the match, President Florentino Perez personally went to the field to present the honorary membership badge of Real Madrid to Doncic.
“I don’t know what else to say, today is a very special day. I’ve been waiting for this match all summer,” Doncic expressed. “I got to meet my old teammates, the faces that were with me many years ago. Thank you for everything!”
Many players from the Real Madrid men’s soccer team who did not join the national team, including Toni Kroos, Lucas Vazquez, Thibaut Courtois, David Alaba, Dani Ceballos, and Brahim Diaz, were also present at Wizink Arena to watch this match.
Because he was still not in the best shape due to hip pain after a recent practice session, the player born in 1999 could only play for about 5 minutes and scored 9 points. In the end, Dallas Mavericks lost to Real Madrid Basket with a score of 123 – 127.
This is the first time an NBA pre-season friendly match has been held in Madrid since 2016. At that time, Doncic and Real Madrid Basket defeated the Oklahoma City Thunder.
