Whatever Luka Dončić is doing right now, it’s working. And if that includes enjoying a beer on game day, well, who would we be to tell him that’s not what you’re supposed to do?
The Slovenian star of the Dallas Mavericks is coming off a Game 7 performance against the 1-seed Phoenix Suns in which he scored as many first-half points as his opponents did, finishing with 35 in the victory. He’s also averaging 32.7 points in the playoffs during his entire career, second only to Michael Jordan. LeBron James recently said Luka is his favorite player and now he’s got the Mavs back in the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2011.
Dallas is getting ready to open the series against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday night, so you have to assume that every player is doing what they need to do to be in prime condition.
According to a tweet that made the rounds on Wednesday, it would have appeared that Luka prepared for the big game by enjoying a breakfast beer along with teammate Boban Marjanović.
Slav moments in Bay Area pic.twitter.com/laLuwzPrEl
— Minimalizam (@AttackTheRack) May 18, 2022
While many NBA traditionalists are probably clutching their pearls at the idea of a star player drinking beer on the day of an important basketball game, the NBA world absolutely loves the sight of the two Slavic superstars (and Slavic assistant coach Igor Kokosov) presumably preparing for playoff battle.
As a guy that’s drank a few beers before mens league games and played ball the best I’ve ever played, Mavs by a billion https://t.co/HryDVEhKbB
— Dana Beers (@danabeers) May 18, 2022
Luka runs on wings, beer, and hookah, prove me wrong https://t.co/BPzwEdjw33
— ¡BUM CHILLUPS AKA SPENCER HALL! (@edsbs) May 18, 2022
Luka Doncic Me
🤝
“A casual beer at
lunch couldn’t hurt.” https://t.co/LMMJN9QyIZ— Ben Stevens (@BenScottStevens) May 18, 2022
After watching the last dance, this is light work compared to the amount of beers Jordan put down before games. https://t.co/TAWxzSGTeo
— Billcotterforcongress.com (@Billyhottakes) May 18, 2022
if Luka played in Philly there would be at least five SIPS-related stories an offseason https://t.co/C4qhNt54p7
— Kyle Neubeck (@KyleNeubeck) May 18, 2022
Luka is going for 50 tonight https://t.co/DFamZY8IWM
— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) May 18, 2022
Of course, as we’ve all learned by now, you can’t just assume that everything you see on the internet is true and a report out of the Mavericks organization says that the photo is old and not from Wednesday. Ah well, the NBA world still had a lot of fun assuming it and perhaps the legend will live on no matter what, especially if Luka drops 40 on Wednesday night.
UPDATE: The restaurant in question, Sens, confirmed to SFGate that the photo was taken on Tuesday when the Mavericks were there as part of a team meal.
[AttackTheRack, TMZ]
About Sean Keeley
Along with writing for Awful Announcing and The Comeback, Sean is the Managing Editor for Comeback Media. Previously, he created the Syracuse blog Troy Nunes Is An Absolute Magician and wrote 'How To Grow An Orange: The Right Way to Brainwash Your Child Into Rooting for Syracuse.' He has also written non-Syracuse-related things for SB Nation, Curbed, and other outlets. He currently lives in Seattle where he is complaining about bagels. Send tips/comments/complaints to sean@thecomeback.com.