{"id":92906,"date":"2024-08-28T08:43:54","date_gmt":"2024-08-28T12:43:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/?p=92906"},"modified":"2024-08-28T08:43:54","modified_gmt":"2024-08-28T12:43:54","slug":"inside-luka-doncic-retirement-plans-striking-parallels-with-nikola-jokic-dream","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/28\/inside-luka-doncic-retirement-plans-striking-parallels-with-nikola-jokic-dream\/","title":{"rendered":"Luka Doncic Retirement Plans Mirror Nikola Jokic\u2019s Dream"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/d\/doncilu01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Luka Doncic<\/a> has dominated the NBA since joining the Dallas Mavericks in 2018. Leading the team to the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, he\u2019s solidified his place among the league&#8217;s elite. Yet, despite his on-court success, Don\u010di\u0107 is already contemplating life after basketball. Surprisingly, his vision for the future involves a peaceful life on a farm in his native Slovenia.<\/p>\n<h2>Luka Don\u010di\u0107\u2019s Retirement Plans Mirror Nikola Joki\u0107\u2019s Dream<\/h2>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\" data-width=\"550\" data-dnt=\"true\">\n<p lang=\"en\" dir=\"ltr\">Luka spends a day at the farm back home in Slovenia! \ud83c\uddf8\ud83c\uddee\ud83c\udf3e\ud83d\ude9c <a  href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/8LX9WZvX95\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">pic.twitter.com\/8LX9WZvX95<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; NBA (@NBA) <a  href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/NBA\/status\/1828442995747705222?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">August 27, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>Recently, a video of Don\u010di\u0107 enjoying farm life in Slovenia went viral. It showed him riding tractors and mingling with cows and horses.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cYou know, it\u2019s just beautiful. You can make food and see the landscape too. It\u2019s very beautiful, very peaceful,\u201d Don\u010di\u0107 remarked, revealing his deep affection for the simple, rural lifestyle.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>In 2023, Luka Doncic was asked if he would pursue the all-time points record. Instead, he responded in a way that showed he was already thinking about retirement. Don\u010di\u0107 emphasized that he had no interest in chasing records or playing as long as LeBron James.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI don\u2019t know about 20 years,\u201d Luka Doncic <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.espn.com\/nba\/story\/_\/id\/35426366\/luka-heir-nba-eventual-points-king-now-just-amazed-watching-lebron\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">admitted<\/a>. \u201cThat\u2019s a long time to play basketball. I\u2019d rather go back to my farm in Slovenia.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Luka Doncic\u2019s sentiments echo those of another NBA superstar, <a  href=\"https:\/\/www.basketball-reference.com\/players\/j\/jokicni01.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Nikola Jokic<\/a>. The Denver Nuggets\u2019 MVP is equally enamored with a quiet life, particularly his love for horses and ranches in Serbia. Joki\u0107, who spends much of his offseason in Serbia, immerses himself in the world of horses. He often speaks about the joy and peace he finds in this lifestyle. When asked about the number of horses he owns, Joki\u0107 casually <a href=\"https:\/\/www.marca.com\/en\/basketball\/nba\/denver-nuggets\/2023\/10\/18\/652fdaed22601dea518b4580.html\" target=\"_blank\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">replied<\/a>,<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cRight now, like, 7, 8\u2026 Uhh, 10, 12.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Despite his on-court achievements, Joki\u0107\u2019s heart remains firmly rooted in the Serbian countryside. There, he finds <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/17\/nba-retired-stars-suit-up-goran-dragic-event\/\" target=\"_self\">solace<\/a> away from the pressures of NBA stardom.<\/p>\n<h3>The Un-American American Dream<\/h3>\n<p>The parallel between Luka Doncic and Nikola Jokic is striking. Both players, despite their youth and prominence, are drawn to a life valuing simplicity and nature over fame and fortune. Their aspirations to return to their roots after basketball contrast with the typical American sports stars, who often gravitate toward big cities or urban areas. In a sense, Don\u010di\u0107 and Joki\u0107\u2019s dreams mirror the rural ideal cherished by many in the Southern and Midwestern United States. Yet, their vision also diverges from the ostentatious lifestyles often associated with American athletes.<\/p>\n<h3>Post-Retirement Team-Up?<\/h3>\n<p>As the NBA season looms, fans wonder if <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/20\/espn-predicts-nba-award-winners-for-2024-25-season\/\" target=\"_self\">Don\u010di\u0107<\/a> and Joki\u0107 will ever team up on the court. Even if that dream doesn\u2019t materialize, there\u2019s another intriguing possibility. Given their shared love for rural life and their deep connection to their homelands, it\u2019s easy to imagine Don\u010di\u0107 and Joki\u0107 regularly connecting in their retirement. Perhaps they will collaborate on a farm or ranch in the Balkan region, living out their days in tranquility.<\/p>\n<p>In the end, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/27\/why-was-luka-doncic-targeting-rudy-gobert\/\" target=\"_self\">Luka Doncic<\/a> and Nikola Jokic\u2019s post-basketball plans reveal a side of them that is as grounded as it is inspiring. While their peers may pursue luxury and attention, <a href=\"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/2024\/08\/24\/los-angeles-lakers-have-sights-set-on-perennial-mvp-candidate-luka-doncic-dallas-mavericks\/\" target=\"_self\">Don\u010di\u0107<\/a> and Joki\u0107 seem content with the idea of returning to their roots, finding peace in the simple joys of life. Whether or not they ever, share the court again, their bond and shared vision suggest a lasting connection that will endure long after their playing days are over.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Luka Doncic has dominated the NBA since joining the Dallas Mavericks in 2018. Leading the team to the Western Conference Finals and the NBA Finals, he\u2019s solidified his place among the league&#8217;s elite. Yet, despite his on-court success, Don\u010di\u0107 is already contemplating life after basketball. Surprisingly, his vision for the future involves a peaceful life [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5018,"featured_media":92979,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"no","_lmt_disable":"","sfio_featured_image":false,"sfio_embed_code":"","_ef_editorial_meta_date_first-draft-date":"","_ef_editorial_meta_paragraph_assignment":"","_ef_editorial_meta_checkbox_needs-photo":"1","_ef_editorial_meta_number_word-count":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[62,1608,30,20,3],"tags":[49245,38,1133,563,72,4384,49386],"class_list":["post-92906","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-nba","category-basketball","category-mavericks","category-nuggets","category-news","tag-2024-nba-finals","tag-lebron-james","tag-luka-doncic","tag-nba-western-conference","tag-nikola-jokic","tag-slovenia","tag-team-serbia"],"modified_by":"Eamon Cassels, Editor","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92906","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5018"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=92906"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92906\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/92979"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=92906"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=92906"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/basketball\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=92906"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}