Mavericks' Luka Doncic to pay for funerals from Belgrade shooting

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has agreed to pay for the funeral costs for the victims of a school shooting in Belgrade. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN broke the news, which revealed that Doncic would also be paying for grief counseling for classmates and staff.

Doncic released a statement on the tragedy, as well as his donation, saying:

"I am heartbroken by the tragic school shooting in Serbia and the loss of lives, including those of innocent school children. My thoughts are with the families and the entire community affected by this tragedy.

"Through my foundation, I am exploring both immediate and long-term ways to support the students, faculty, and families affected by the shooting at the Vladislav Ribnikar Elementary School. I am committed and I will continue to share updates and ways to support as details become available."

Luka Doncic committed to long term assistance in Belgrade

According to Adrian Wojnarowski, Luka Doncic isn’t just committed to paying for the funerals and for grief counseling in the aftermath, he’s also committed to helping long-term. As Wojnarowski revealed, whatever assistance is needed long-term, Doncic is willing to provide.

Of course, Luka Doncic has close ties to the area of Serbia. Although the Dallas Mavericks superstar is from Slovenia, Doncic’s father, Sasha is from Serbia. In addition, he has a grandmother, aunt, uncle, and a cousin who live in the area where the shooting took place.

Doncic is currently enjoying his offseason, after the end of a frustrating season. After coming up short of making the playoffs, Doncic will take the offseason to enjoy some much-needed time off.

As he explained late in the season, given that he competed in the FIBA world cup, he hasn’t had much time to relax during recent offseasons. From the sounds of things, Doncic’s struggles are mostly off the court. As he explained late in the season, he simply wasn’t having the same level of fun that he used to.

"I think you can see it with me on the court. Sometimes I don't feel it's me. I'm just being out there. I used to have really fun, smiling on court, but it's just been so frustrating for a lot of reasons, not just basketball.”

While he rests up for next season, Doncic’s recent decision to help assist in the wake of the Belgrade mass shooting has earned him tons of praise.