Luka Doncic reveals he played through injury during the World Cup / News - Basketnews.com

Luka Doncic's leg injury that he sustained last March resurfaced during the FIBA World Cup. In recent statements, the Slovenian star admitted that his condition has deteriorated since the tournament started.

Credit: FIBA Credit FIBA

Before the FIBA World Cup tipped off in Japan, Luka Doncic didn't hide that he kept being bothered by an old injury dating back to last March.

Luka Doncic

Position:SGAge:24Height:201 cmWeight:104 kgBirth place:Ljubljana, SloveniaProfileNewsStatistics

"It is an old injury, which caused me problems in the NBA," Doncic said in mid-August before the World Cup started. "Therefore, we performed an MRI. Everything is okay. Nothing worse."

Even though Slovenia's camp understood Doncic should be allocated less playing time to reduce the physical burden he's undertaking, the opponents' plan often involves being highly physical with the Dallas Mavericks star to wear him down. At the same time -- and as Slovenia reached the quarter-finals before being eliminated by Canada-- Doncic stayed on the court for as much as possible.

He even played almost 38 minutes in a game with little significance, the one against Italy, which was also Slovenia's last in the tourney. He ended up with 29 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 8 assists. His team won 89-85, while Doncic came close to the first triple-double ever recorded in a World Cup.

However, on the eve of that game, Doncic admitted that he played through a leg injury. "I do not know what to say. It's not okay. At the same time, I have to prepare for one more game, and then for a whole season in the NBA," he told reporters.

The same injury forced him to exit early from a pre-World Cup exhibition game against Greece. The Mavericks open training camp on September 27, ahead of the 2023-24 season.

At the same time, Doncic reaffirmed his intent to continue playing for Slovenia as long as he isn't dealing with a major injury. The next chance for him to do so will be next summer when Slovenia competes in the Olympic qualifiers.

"I play no matter what, even in the Olympic qualifiers, if only I'm healthy," he said.

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