Former NBA center Dino Rađa (Radja) is impressed with Luka Doncic. According to him, the Dallas Mavericks young superstar is similar to European legend Dejan Bodiroga.
“He reminds me a lot of Bodiroga. A little bigger, but a guy with huge balls and huge basketball talent,” Rađa said on 1-ON-1 with Basketball Network. Bodiroga was one of the most iconic players in Europe in 1990’s and early 2000’s. He won three EuroLeague titles among many other championships at a club. Bodiroga was also very successful with Serbian national team, becoming world champion twice and winning three EuroBasket gold medals, among other.
Rađa admitted he did not expect Doncic to be so good already in his first year in the NBA. He thought the Slovenian phenom was better off staying for one more year in Europe.
“He showed a lot of maturity at a very early age, but I didn’t expect him to be as good in his first year. I thought he needed one more year in Europe to mature, more as a person than a basketball player,” Rađa said.
After winning the Rookie of the Year award in his first season in the NBA, Doncic helped the Mavs return to playoffs the following season in which he also entered the MVP talks. This year, which is his third in the league, he is among favorite to win the MVP award.
