Dallas Mavericks guard, Luka Doncic is currently having a phenomenal season and almost single-handedly carrying the entire team, find out how he got his nickname ‘El Matador’ and Luka Magic
The Slovenian international currently leads the scoring list, and averages 33.8 points, 9.1 rebounds, and 8.6 assists per game.
Luka Doncic El Matador and Luka magic nickname meaning explained and origin story
Made to be El Matador 🐂👑#lukadoncic #doncic #dallasmavericks #dallas #mavericks #mffl #mavs #jumpman #teamjordan #airjordan #luka1 #elmatador #nba #nbadesign #nbaart #smsports pic.twitter.com/dpLcmG7h00
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First look: Air Jordan 36 "El Matador" PE for Luka Dončić pic.twitter.com/t8QndSosbG
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Prior to joining the NBA, Doncic played with the Real Madrid basketball team inn Spain.
Luka Doncic and his nicknames
While playing in Spain, Luka was called ‘Wonderboy’, or ‘Nino Maravilla‘. After he joined the NBA however, he was simply called, ‘Luka’ or ‘Doncic’. After joining the Mavs, Doncic won the Rookie of the Year during his first season with them.
NBA announcers soon started calling Luka Doncic as ‘Luka Magic’. Charles Barkley, and NBA Hall of Famer and member of the Dream team also called Luka as “Baby Bird”. This is because Luka shares similarities with Larry Bird, the Boston Celtics legend who dominated the league, despite his physicality.
How Luka Doncic got the nickname ‘El Matador’
Despite not having the best physical features, Luka Doncic can control the game better than any other Mavericks players can. Luka plays at his own pace and always seems to remain in control of the game. As such, the Mavericks backroom staff coach gave him a fitting nickname, “El Matador”, during his rookie season.
Luka Doncic is a player, who frequently outsmarts his opponents like the matador while his NBA oppositions represent the raging bull who constantly try to take down Luka. Interestingly, the Mavs once even tried to file a trademark for the nicknames “The Matador” and “El Matador.”
Luka is playing unbelievably well this season and certainly at a much higher level than his rookie season. ‘El Matador’ is currently on an upward trajectory this season, and will undoubtedly only start getting better as he grows older. Luka is still just 22 years old and has a long career ahead of him filed him success no doubt.