DALLAS (105.3 The Fan) - All eyes were on Mavericks all-star guard Luka Doncic as he stepped to the podium Thursday in his home nation of Slovenia to react to the organization's decision to part ways with their long-tenured president of basketball operations, Donnie Nelson.
"It was kind of tough to me. I really like Donnie. I know him since I was a kid and he was the one that drafted me. It was tough for me seeing that, but I'm not the one making decisions there," Doncic said from the Slovenia national team's practice facility in Ljubljana, via Marc Stein of the New York Times.
As for when he found out about Nelson's sudden departure, Doncic apparently wasn't given much notice, if any at all.
"My understanding is that Doncic was not aware of Nelson's departure until yesterday. He basically found out when we did, perhaps a little before, but not until yesterday," Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News reported.
Nelson and the young star have formed a close bond since the two met while Doncic was staring as a teenager for the Spanish League club Real Madrid.
Meanwhile, Doncic will now shift his focus to helping Slovenia get to the Olympics. The national team will begin their quest for qualification at the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Lithuania beginning on June 29.
"I enjoy playing basketball. I was one week without playing and I was missing basketball. I'm ready and I hope we qualify for the Olympics."
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