For many years, millions of young basketball players across the world, including some in the NBA, looked to emulate Michael Jordan, who is considered arguably the greatest player in the history of the game. To a certain extent, people in recent years have looked to emulate late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant, whether that has meant modeling their games after him or drawing inspiration from his "Mamba Mentality."
But Kevin Durant of the Houston Rockets, who has become a legend in his own right, noted on his "Boardroom Talks" show that now, players are starting to emulate current Lakers superstar Luka Doncic, and he likes it.
“Because he’s that great. They should get it from him,” Durant said. “I love when guys want to be like Luka or Michael
Jordan or try to emulate them. When you go work out and get as close as you can to that level, you’re going to be a good player… Why not? I love to see Luka, from a different country, crossing people up like we do. He’s bringing that back to where he’s from. That’s a little piece of us there, too, the American culture of basketball.”
While Doncic is from Slovenia, he does have an American flavor to his game. He has become known for talking trash to opponents, and he even has a bit of playground-style handles, as evidenced by the time he bounced the ball between the legs of Kevin Love during a fast break this past season.
LUKA DONČIĆ ARE YOU SERIOUS??
— NBA (@NBA) November 24, 2025
NUTMEG INTO A FASTBREAK ALLEY-OOP 🤯 pic.twitter.com/K8NwvXRRJD
Doncic averaged 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds, 8.3 assists and 1.6 steals a game last season. He won his second scoring title in three years and got a bit of MVP consideration, even though his season ended prematurely when he sustained a hamstring strain in early April.
He has apparently slimmed down even more this summer, and with LeBron James relocating to the Philadelphia 76ers, he could elevate his game even higher this coming season.
This article originally appeared on LeBron Wire: Kevin Durant likes how basketball players are emulating Luka Doncic
