Playing more than one sport has helped plenty of players in the NBA. In the history of the league, there are a plethora of talented individuals who have picked up a sport other than basketball. One of those is Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic.
The new Lakers star recently revealed that he grew up playing more basketball. According to Doncic, it helped him develop other skills, like footwork.
“In school, we did a lot of sports, but mostly I would say I played football (soccer) and tennis, which nowadays, I think really helped me (with) my footwork,” Doncic said. “But I used to play a lot of sports, especially sports with a ball.”
It was only natural for Doncic, a Slovenian, to play soccer as it’s the most popular sport in Europe. However, a surprising fact about the 6-foot-6 guard is that he had a year where he did gymnastics.
“But I did — which might surprise a lot of people, they don’t know about me — I did one year of gymnastics. So, that was kind of different for me… one year was enough for me.”
Did you know Luka did 1 year of gymnastics? pic.twitter.com/GmZ1oNrFSN
— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) February 13, 2025
The skills he developed in other sports have helped him in his career in the NBA. Doncic’s footwork is one of the best in the league and it’s the direct result of playing soccer.
Doncic spoke highly of his Lakers head coach
While Doncic is making the necessary adjustments to fit in, the Lakers head coach has gradually catered to what the star needs to perform his best. JJ Redick is only in his first year coaching at the NBA level but he’s already gotten the chance to work with the five-time All-Star and LeBron James — in the same season.
After two games, Doncic was asked about his experience being coached by Redick. The European star has nothing but respect for the former Duke star and is excited to see how their on-court relationship will develop.
“He’s a great coach. I know it’s only his first year, but it don’t feel like it. It feels like he’s been here for 15 years. Props to him and I can’t wait to be coached more by him,” Doncic said.
Doncic and Redick played together for one season, the final year of the 6-foot-4 shooting guard. At that time, the five-time All-NBA player has already blossomed into one of the best stars in the league.
Redick, on the other hand, wasn’t part of the regular rotation but provided veteran leadership to the star and the rest of the team.
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Reign also writes NBA and WNBA news updates on Sportskeeda. He started as a feature writer for AirAlamo, an NBA website that covers the San Antonio Spurs. Some of his work can also be seen with Valley of the Suns, a Phoenix Suns-centric website, where he served as a contributing writer.
