9781422271551

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Outstanding Olympian Slovenia made a dynamic debut in men’s basketball at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo (held in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic), thanks to the spectacular play of Luka Dončić. He led his country on a deep—and unexpected—run in its first-ever Olympic tournament, just missing out on a coveted medal. After plowing through Group Play, highlighted by Dončić’s 48-point gem of a game against Argentina, he filled the stat sheet with 20 points, eight rebounds, and 11 assists in a win over Germany in the quarterfinals. Against a talent-rich France team in the semifinals, with a berth in the gold medal game dangling in their sights, they lost a 90–89 heartbreaker. Dončić was fantastic, delivering 16 points, 10 rebounds, and a stunning 18 assists, becoming just the third player to record a triple-double in Olympic men’s basketball history. Slovenia was beaten by Australia in the bronze medal game, while Dončić accounted for a team-high 22 points. For the Olympic tournament, Dončić averaged nearly a triple-double: 23.8 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 9.5 assists a game.

Dončić made quite an Olympic debut, scoring 48 points in Slovenia’s opening win against Argentina at the Summer Games in Tokyo and leading his country to a fourth-place finish.

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Chapter 1: Greatest Moments