By admin 
Long before Luka Doncic became one of the dominant forces of the 21st century, he was simply a prodigiously talented Slovenian teenager honing his craft for Europe’s premier powerhouse, Spanish giant Real Madrid.
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As such, at just 17 years old, he earned a call-up to the Slovenian national team to learn under peak Goran Dragic. Steering the ship was Igor Kokoskov, a man who had been in the NBA first as an assistant and then as a head coach since way back in 2000.
Given Kokoskov’s background, he had his fair share of talent pass through his hands over the years and knew almost immediately that the future Los Angeles Lakers superstar was a generational talent in the making.
“One thing we will never forget, we were wrapping up the third training session during preparations in Vrnjacka Banja, just finished the morning practice. So the whole group is listening to what my assistants are talking about, and as we’re walking, Rado Trifunovic tells me, ‘Coach, over these last three days, how much do you think we’ve influenced the development of Doncic?’ He says, ‘We’ve developed him phenomenally,'” Kokoskov
“Meaning, it only takes you two sessions, it only takes two practices with a guy like that to realize what kind of generational talent you’re working with. So his talent is so obvious, and he keeps growing with every passing year. He is a gem, a diamond, a gift from God,” Kokoskov added.
Slovenia went all the way
At that time, Kokoskov potentially had the option to pair seasoned NBA veterans Beno Udrih and Sasha Vujacic with Dragic in the backcourt, which back then would have formed one of the strongest backcourts in the entire EuroBasket.
However, for one reason or another, the duo wasn’t there, so the decision fell on the future two-time NBA scoring champion, and the rest is history. Slovenia went all the way, winning gold in a fantastic final against heavily favored Serbia, while Doncic took home the tournament’s Best Young Player award.
That magical run took place nine years ago in Turkey, and although it was obvious to everyone present that Doncic had a special relationship with the rock in his hands, hardly anyone, including his coaching staff, could have predicted the exact heights on which Luka Magic operates today.
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Even though he is only 27 years old, besides that gold medal, he already boasts six All-NBA First Team selections, six All-Star appearances, two scoring titles, a WCF MVP award, a fourth-place finish at the Olympic Games, a EuroLeague title alongside an MVP award, and a mountain of other accolades.
The future is still bright for Luka
As the magician with the ball enters his physical prime, where the primary focus is on winning the Larry O’Brien trophy and MVP awards, and given his statistical production, it is a miracle he does not already have a few on his mantle.
Still, nobody doubts that Luka will ultimately achieve all of that in his career. Talent-wise, he stands comfortably among the top 20 players to ever grace an NBA court. A player with the handles of Isiah Thomas, the court vision of Magic Johnson, the basketball IQ of LeBron James, Dirk Nowitzki’s deep range and the offensive arsenal of Kobe Bryant.
An offensive engine like this, currently ranking third all-time in scoring average and 12th in assist average in the regular season according to “Basketball Reference,” as well as second all-time in points and 16th in assists in the playoffs, really hasn’t been seen before.
And Kokoskov saw it all coming back in 2017, while watching a teenager lay the foundation for Slovenia’s historic FIBA gold medal.
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This story was originally published September 14, 2026 at 10:59 AM.