A former teammate of Kobe Bryant and a countryman of Luka Dončić recently gave the Los Angeles Lakers star a glowing compliment. After being traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers, Dončić has already begun to prove that the Mavericks made a big mistake letting him go.
The trade sent shockwaves across the NBA community and had everyone reacting. Sasha Vujačić is a former NBA star who played alongside Bryant for the majority of his NBA career. Moreover, he is also from Slovenia, the same country as Dončić. That put him in the perfect situation to answer when asked about the new member of the Lakers.
Is Luka Dončić Similar to Kobe Bryant?
Vujačić spent 10 seasons in the NBA and averaged 5.3 points, 1.9 rebounds, and 1.3 assists. He won two championships alongside Bryant and knows better than most what the Black Mamba was capable of doing. Vujačić also saw Dončić dominate in the NBA and shared his thoughts.
“Incredible … We actually don’t know each other. We know of each other. We had different routes kinda taking us to NBA,” Vujačić said.
“But I think when he got to the league, what, six years ago? I think somebody called me and asked me what do you think about him? A couple of them called me, and I said, ‘I’ll be honest, I watched him play. He might be the only one that reminds me a little bit more than anybody else of Kobe, the reason being he plays with a smile, he understands the geometry of the basketball court very well.'”
Vujačić continued to explain, “He’s talented, but there’s something in his eyes that when he plays the game of basketball, it’s just that killer thing that he has, like smell blood. Like Kobe always said he could smell blood. He is still young, but I think he’s got some of my big bro there, and the way we got him, I think Kobe might have had something to do with it.”
“But he’s special, he’s definitely special, and I think if he stays on the right path, and I think he will, there’s quite a few championships ahead of him,” Vujačić concluded.
Although Dončić’s playstyle might be different when compared to Bryant’s, with Dončić being considered a much better facilitator, Vujačić spoke of a similarity in terms of appearance, mentality, and approach to the game of basketball. Moreover, he boldly predicted that Dončić would be able to win quite a few championships if he stayed on the right path.
Playing alongside LeBron James can certainly be considered the right path, and many fans wonder what the Los Angeles Lakers will be able to accomplish in the upcoming playoffs.