Luka Doncic open to Real Madrid return to end pro basketball career

Luka Doncic might want to end his professional basketball career right where it started.

During an interview with the Wall Street Journal this week, Doncic, 26, said he’s open to the idea of returning to Liga ACB’s Real Madrid once his career in the NBA is over.

Although Doncic said he was not sure he would be able to make the return, he likes the potential idea.

“To play with Real Madrid, you have to be so good,” Doncic told the Wall Street Journal.

“For sure,” Luka said about a reunion with Real Madrid. “They raised me.”

Real Madrid is perhaps Europe’s most renowned pro basketball team, having won 38 Spanish League championships, 29 Spanish Cups and 11 EuroLeague titles.

Doncic’s career began as a member of Real Madrid at just 13 years old while playing for the organization’s under-16 team.

Once turning 16, Doncic was moved up to Real Madrid’s Liga ACB squad, the youngest to do so in the ACB.

Doncic spent four years playing for Real Madrid between Liga ACB and the EuroLeague before being selected by the Hawks — then subsequently traded to the Mavericks on draft night — with the No. 3 overall pick in the 2018 NBA Draft.

After spending six seasons in Dallas, Doncic was traded to the Lakers midway through last season in a shocker, with the five-time All-Star’s weight being a part of the discourse.

Doncic, however, recently said that he has lost 31 pounds over the offseason as a part of a dramatic physical transformation.

“So every summer I try my best to work on different things,” Doncic told Men’s Health. “Obviously, I’m very competitive. This summer was just a little bit different, you know. It kind of motivated me to be even better.

“Just visually, I would say my whole body looks better.”