We look at why Luka Doncic wears the number 77 jersey for the Dallas Mavericks
Luka Doncic advanced to his first Conference Finals after defeating the No.1 seed Phoenix Suns in the Western Conference semifinals. Luka has established himself as one of the top young players in the NBA and will undoubtedly become one of the league’s faces in the next years.
LUKA DONCIC Wears The Number 77 Jersey For The Dallas Mavericks: Reason Explained
Throughout the playoffs, fans have been curious as to why Luka Doncic wears the number 77 on his shirt. After all, it’s a unique number to rock.
Why is he wearing it? He wears it in honor of Vassilis Spanoulis, a Greek professional basketball player who wore the No.7 throughout his career and was one of Luka’s favorite players growing up.
According to EuroHoops, Luka, who represents Slovenia at the international level, announced his choice to wear the No. 77 shirt during a game against Angola in 2021.
“Obviously, Felipe Reyes was my teammate, and he was a great teacher to me.” “He was the veteran over there, and he nearly always won,” Luka explained. “He was a pivotal figure in my career.
The No. 7 shirt that Vassilis had worn throughout his career, however, had already been claimed by Kleman Prepelic of the Slovenian national team. Luka was rather young at the time and would never have had the authority to steal Prepelic’s shirt.
Instead, he improvised and added seven more to get to 77.
What did He say?
“That’s why I’m wearing No. 7.” I mean, I couldn’t wear No. 7 since it was already in use, so I went with 77. “He was extremely, incredibly important to me,” Luka continued.
Doncic was eligible to wear the No.7 jersey for Real Madrid while playing in Spain. However, when he was picked by the Mavericks in 2018, Dwight Powell was already wearing the No.7.
Luka had to adapt once again with the No.77, which he still wears for the Mavericks to this day.
Interestingly, just fifteen NBA players, including Luka, have ever worn the No.77 jersey.
Other than Luka, the most recent player to wear 77 was Ersan Ilyasova with the Milwaukee Bucks last year.
However, there is no denying that Luka Doncic is the finest player to ever wear the No.77 jersey in the NBA.
Do you believe the Mavericks will defeat the Warriors? Let us know who you believe will make the NBA Finals in the comments!