“I was 16 when I played against an NBA team” – Luka Doncic explains how starting early as a pro set him up for play in the NBA

Luka Doncic made his professional basketball debut when he was 16 years old. At 18, he won the EuroBasket, and a year later became the Euroleague MVP. ‘The Don’ has been competing with grown men since he was a kid, and this definitely played a major part in his unmatched progress and basketball development.

The five-time All-Star highlighted this in a recent interview with hip-hop superstar Snoop Dogg, sharing that his start as a teenager laid the foundation for the career he is having now in the NBA. He even recalled his experience playing in his first game against an NBA team, the Boston Celtics.

“If you’re good [they put you against men in the pros in Europe]. That was me. I think I was 16 when I played against an NBA team. First time against Boston. They came to Madrid. I played, like, four or five minutes,” 26-year-old Doncic said.

“But just playing [at] 16, practicing with grown men, you know, it prepared me a lot because there were a lot of guys that played in the NBA before they came back. So they taught me about that.” he added.

Leaving home at 13

Born in Slovenia, Doncic was a star youth player for Union Olimpija in his home country. He then caught the eye of Real Madrid and at the age of 13 signed with the team’s youth academy.

By 16, he made his pro debut in the Spanish ACB League with Madrid, becoming the third-youngest player to do so in league history, behind Ricky Rubio and Angel Rebolo.

The experience early on was not easy for the young prodigy, but he progressed well, and his feel for the game was enhanced with the help of his teammates and his then-coach, Pablo Laso, who did not hesitate to call him out if he was straying from his path.

“I think one example was when we were up, it was quarterfinals or round 16. We were up by like 30 at halftime and I was bulls—ing a little bit. He yelled at me. He made me cry. But like this coach changed a little bit how I view basketball during the time,” Doncic recalled.

“That year, I think we didn’t lose a game and we won the finals by like 30 points. I think everybody needs it. To be a really good player, you need a guy like that, they’ll tell you every time, especially coach, you know I love him for doing that to me,” Doncic continued.

He capped his stay in Real Madrid by leading the team to the EuroLeague championship in 2018 and winning MVP honors at the age of 19.

Taking his act to the NBA

Sharpened by his pro experience in Europe, Doncic made the jump to the NBA in 2018. He was selected third overall by the Atlanta Hawks but was traded to the Dallas Mavericks for the fifth pick, Trae Young and a protected future first-round pick.

Luka did not take long to showcase the hype surrounding him to a wider NBA audience. Banking on his all-around game, he won rookie of the year honors and soon became a perennial All-Star and All-NBA Team member. Doncic was close to the Larry O’Brien trophy in 2024, leading Dallas to the Finals, but falling to the Boston Celtics in five games.

Doncic continues his stellar play now with the Los Angeles Lakers, leading the league in points with 35.1 a game, clearly looking to become the next superstar to give the Purple and Gold an NBA title.

Related: "Best 'Big 3' in the NBA ever" - Gilbert Arenas says Lakers trio of LeBron James, Luka Doncic, and Austin Reaves is the best in NBA history

This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Dec 1, 2025, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.