Lakers star Luka Doncic was very emotional after Slovenia’s loss to Serbia, according to the latest reports.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts after scoring a basket against the New York Knicks during overtime at Crypto.com Arena.
Eurobasket 2025 is set to begin tomorrow, and there is great urgency for the participating nations to ramp up their training and round into form heading into the summer’s big international tournament. But for Luka Doncic’s Slovenia, they might be wishing that they had more time to iron out the kinks. A few days ago, the Los Angeles Lakers star and his home country ended up suffering a demoralizing loss to Nikola Jokic and Serbia, 106-72.

This was not the kind of performance that Slovenia would have wanted to put up with Eurobasket right around the corner. And it looks as though the Lakers star couldn’t be any more pissed with the way they played four days ago. As reported by SportKlub, via Basketnews, Doncic’s “frustration didn’t just stay on the court”, he also had “strong words” for his teammates.

But of course, this frustration isn’t coming from a place of malice. Doncic simply wants to win, and he is very emotional in the way he carries himself, as has been the case throughout his career. Thus, there’s no surprise that he was passionate following that crushing defeat that made it seem as though they were leagues behind Serbia.

At the very least, Doncic’s teammates recognized that his fiery words were coming from a place of wanting to do better all the time. Slovenia has built these high standards for themselves over the past few years, so for them to lose by over 30 points to a team they’ve gone toe to toe with in the past has to be such a big wake-up call.

The Lakers star will begin his run in the Eurobasket with Slovenia on Thursday at 2:30 PM E.T., when they face a Poland squad led by Mateusz Ponitka.

Lakers star Luka Doncic has a lot to prove this summer

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half during game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Target Center.

Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
To end the 2024-25 season, Doncic faced a ton of scrutiny that he brought upon himself. Perhaps he still was playing his way into shape after a calf injury kept him out for a considerable period of time earlier in the campaign. But he was not in the best of playing conditions and he was very lethargic on the defensive end as the Lakers’ playoff run came to a halt in the first round.

Thus, Doncic has a chip on his shoulder heading into next season. But before he tries to lead the Lakers deep into the playoffs, he’ll be tasked to carry Slovenia deep in Eurobasket.