Looking at Luka Doncic's contract of 5 years with Real Madrid as a 13-year-old that almost delayed his NBA debut

Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Luka Doncic has taken the NBA by storm over his first five seasons.

At just 23 years old, Doncic is already one of the faces of the league. However, the start of his career in the NBA was nearly delayed due to a five-year contract he signed with Real Madrid in 2012 as a 13-year-old. Here is what happened.

After experiencing immense success overseas as a teenager, Doncic was selected third in the 2018 NBA Draft by the Atlanta Hawks and then traded to Dallas. However, following the draft, Doncic’s status to play in the 2018 NBA Summer League was very uncertain.

He did not participate in any practices with the Mavs at the time as he needed to complete a contract buyout with Real Madrid first. The buyout with the Spanish club was reportedly worth $2M, according to Eurohoops.

Then-Mavs coach Rick Carlisle spoke about the situation at the time.

“He has not participated in a live practice yet because he needs to have his buyout completed with Real Madrid,” Carlisle said.

“He needs a FIBA letter of clearance, he needs a physical and he needs to sign his contract. So, we’re getting close to getting those things done, but we’re not there yet.”

Then-Mavericks assistant coach Jamahl Mosley, who was coaching Dallas’ Summer League team, also echoed similar sentiments.

“Again, it’s going to be a TBD with him,” Mosley said.

“He got his shots up, he got his work in on his own and that’s kind of where we’re leaving it with him.”

There was a lot of hype surrounding Doncic’s potential debut at the time as he was one of the biggest international stars ever drafted into the NBA. His participation in the Summer League would have been a very big ratings draw for the league.

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Luka Doncic’s contract buyout with Real Madrid

Dallas Mavericks superstar guard Luka Doncic

Luka Doncic’s $2 million contract buyout was eventually resolved with Real Madrid in July 2018. However, Doncic was reportedly not expected to play for the Dallas Mavericks in the Summer League due to how long his European season had lasted.

“Luka Doncic has reached an official buyout with Real Madrid. This will clear the Dallas Mavericks to officially sign their first round pick. Doncic is still highly unlikely to play in NBA Summer League, due to coming off a long season overseas,” NBA reporter Keith Smith said.

Luka Doncic was only 19 at the time, but he had just led Real Madrid to the Liga ACB championship and EuroLeague title in previous months. He also won the MVP award in both leagues.

In total, Doncic played in 150 games over his two seasons in Europe before his move to the NBA, according to Reuters.

Despite not playing in the Summer League, he went on to have an electric rookie season in Dallas. Doncic lived up to the hype and then some. He averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds and 6.0 assists per game in 72 games as a rookie in the 2018-2019 season.

His impressive play earned him the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year award.

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Also read this: Steph Curry is impressed as Luka Doncic showcases his deep bag against super teams: “His size and his ball-handling skills keep you on edge”

Or this: Jason Kidd's quips on Luka Doncic after another masterclass against Golden State Warriors: "It's getting boring, let's see something different"