LeBron James Addresses America’s Major Concern That Luka Doncic Never Faced

The two shores of the Atlantic are two worlds. However, what connects them is the passion for sports. Yet, this passion differs in intensity and culture. Europeans live in a whole different sports culture compared to the States. For stars like Luka Doncic and Nikola Doncic, understanding the shift in the air is easy. They’ve lit up the court on both sides of the ocean. But, don’t you think that these odds must have some reason behind them? LeBron James and Steve Nash seem to have deciphered the unsaid codes.

The second part of Mind The Game with Doncic dropped on Sunday. And while speaking about European sports, Steve Nash and Bron seemingly picked out the biggest trouble with American sports. Nash says that five out of the Top 10 players in the league come from across the vast ocean. Why?

“I think what we’re talking about plays a role in this. I’ll make a statement that’ll probably be aggregated, and I’ll be a meme for this, but America’s not great at player development,” Nash made a bold statement. “I’m not saying there aren’t great coaches — there are great coaches here — but not enough.” According to the Hall of Famer, America lacks good coaches, although they have some great talent in the country.

Apr 19, 2025; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts after not getting a foul call in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

He added, “I think one of the problems with America in all sports — to defend America — is it’s too big. I mean, there’s no one way, there’s no one system, there’s no one idea. We’re all competing, and I think that’s allowed the commercialization to influence the game.” Simply put, America’s vast sports landscape lacks a single system or idea, leading to intense competition among organizations. This diversity has opened the door for commercialization to heavily influence and shape the games.

But the major issue isn’t just the lack of good coaches or commercialization; something runs deeper. LeBron James pointed out, “They’re getting no smaller.” What is not getting smaller? The market, competition, and the extent of commercialization. And of course, population. Compared to Slovenia’s 2.1 million, the USA has a population of 342 million. Insane right? The difference in scale is 340 million!

Most importantly, Slovenia, a small nation of two million, won the Euro Cup by focusing on fundamentals and teamwork. It’s remarkable and proves that skill and unity can overcome size. And the talent in coaching is far elite than in the States, at least, that’s what Luka Doncic experienced during his days back home and in Spain.

Luka Doncic shared an emotional experience with LeBron James and Steve Nash

Luka Doncic stepped into the NBA scene at 18. “You could say, ‘Okay, well, we didn’t know that Luka was Luka completely yet.’ Maybe going into that tournament, we knew you were going to be an NBA player. We didn’t know you were going to be what you are,” LeBron James’s co-host said to the 26-year-old. And surprisingly, even Luka didn’t know what he was going to become in his new home away from home.

“But you announced yourself there — and at Madrid, and the EuroLeague, all that stuff. But the teamwork, right? Two million people. You see it all over the world. I think sometimes we forget America is so big—so many opinions, so many regions,” Steve Nash added. Meanwhile, Doncic shared an incident with one of the coaches in his youth with LeBron and Nash.

Apr 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the first half during game three of first round for the 2024 NBA Playoffs at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Luka’s beginner’s phase wasn’t smooth. Looking back, he recalls an episode that helped him shape the basketball player in him. “I think one example was we were up, it was quarterfinals or round 16. We were up at like 30 at halftime, but I was bull——– a little bit. He yelled at me. He made me cry,” the 26-year-old shared a halftime story with LeBron James and Steve Nash. “But I said like, this coach like changed a little bit of how I view basketball and like during the time. Like that year, I think we didn’t lose the game, and we won the finals by 30 points. I think everybody needs it. To be a really good player, you need that guy who’ll tell everything. Especially the coach. I love him for that, that he did that for me.”

So, Luka Doncic did not just cross the ocean; he carried a whole culture with him. LeBron James nailed it—America isn’t getting any smaller, just more crowded, more commercial, more chaotic. Steve Nash echoed the truth: fundamentals are fading. Yet in Slovenia, with just two million people, they build players differently. Luka is proof that greatness needs less noise and more discipline.

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