Latest / Kidcast Daily / Ep312: Luka Doncic

Transcript

Ep312: Luka Doncic · Kidcast Daily

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  Spin the wheel, Let's take a ride.
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  Sports and science bursting from inside a world of wonder.
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  Open wide. Come.
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  On. Kids, let's amplify kid cats.
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  Daily starts your day. Fun and laughter come your way.
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  Sports and trivia games galore. Welcome to Kick Ass Daily, where
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  we bring news, trivia, fun facts, and more just for curious
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  kids like you. Today we are exploring the life
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  and game of Luka Donich, one of the brightest stars in
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  basketball. You will learn where he comes
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  from, how he trained, what makes his style special, and how he
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  handles big moments on the court.
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  Along the way you'll get some questions to think about with
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  pauses so you can guess the answers.
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  1st A quick picture of who Luko is.
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  Luka Donich is a professional basketball player from Slovenia,
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  a country in Europe. He was born on February 28th,
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  1999 in the city of Ljubljana. He is tall at about 6 feet 8
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  inches which is around 2.03 meters and he plays as a guard
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  and forward. He wears jersey number 77 for
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  the Los Angeles Lakers in the National Basketball Association,
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  also called the NBA. On the court, he is known for
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  strong ball handling, sharp passing that sets up teammates,
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  accurate long distance shooting, and an ability to stay calm when
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  the game is close. Before we talk about his path in
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  basketball, let's try a quick trivia moment.
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  Which other sport did Luca love playing as a kid?
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  A sport that helped his footwork in balance?
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  The answer is soccer. In Slovenia and Spain, where he
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  later lived, it is also called football.
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  Playing soccer helped Luca learn to move quickly in small spaces,
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  control his balance and see the whole field or in basketball
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  terms, the whole court. Those skills carried over into
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  his basketball career and helped him react fast to defenders.
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  Lucas started playing basketball very young and he learned from
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  real people close to him. His father, Sasa Donich, played
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  professional basketball and later became a coach.
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  His mother near Jam Potterbin, supported his training and
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  education, keeping his life organized as he moved up to
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  higher levels of the sport. Luca joined youth teams and
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  spent many hours practicing basic drills like dribbling with
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  both hands, making layups from different angles and taking jump
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  shots from spots he would use in games.
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  If you have ever stayed after practice to work on a weak hand
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  or a tough move, you know what that feels like.
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  It is patient work and he did it day after day.
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  At age 13, Luca moved from Slovenia to Spain to join the
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  youth Academy of Real Madrid, one of the best basketball clubs
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  in Europe. This meant new teammates, new
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  coaches and school in a new language.
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  He learned Spanish while learning new plays.
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  He made his professional debut for Real Madrid at just 16 years
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  old. That is the moment when he went
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  from junior levels to the top adult league in Spain.
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  By 2017, he was part of Real Madrid's team that won the Euro
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  League, which is the highest level club competition in
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  Europe. That same season here in the
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  Euro League MVP and the Final four MVP awards.
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  These awards mean he was the Most Valuable Player in both the
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  regular competition and the final stage.
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  Now for a big NBA moment. Which NBA team picked Luca on
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  draft night before he joined Dallas?
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  The answer is the Atlanta Hawks. In the 2018 NBA Draft, the Hawks
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  selected him with the 3rd pick and then traded his rights to
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  the Dallas Mavericks. That is how he began his NBA
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  journey in Texas. In his first NBA season, Luca
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  won Rookie of the Year for 2018 to 2019.
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  He quickly became an All Star and earned multiple All NBA
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  First Team selections, which means he has been ranked among
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  the best players in the league. One of his signature moves is
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  the step back three pointer. Here's how it works in simple
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  terms. He dribbles, plants his foot,
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  steps back to create space, and shoots over the defender with a
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  smooth release. He also builds plays by driving
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  into the lane, drawing defenders and then passing to a teammate
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  for an open shot or a cut to the basket.
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  He boxes out to rebound even against taller players because
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  he times his jumps and gets into the right spot.
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  Has Luca ever scored a 60 point triple double?
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  Yes, on December 27th, 2022, he recorded 60 points, 21 rebounds,
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  and 10 assists in a single game, which is a very rare stat line.
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  This shows how he can score, rebound, and pass at a high
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  level all in one night. Luca also set a franchise
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  scoring record with 73 points in a game on January 26th, 2024
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  against Atlanta. When he is in a rhythm, he can
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  score in many ways. Layups with either hand, mid
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  range floaters, pull up threes and step backs.
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  He reads the defender's position and chooses the right move.
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  He is also a leader in clutch time.
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  In games that are close near the end, he calls for screens, finds
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  mismatches and either takes a strong shot or sets up a
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  teammate. Coaches trust him to make smart
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  choices with the ball. Let's add a yes or no language
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  challenge. Does Lucas speak more than two
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  languages? Yes, he speaks Slovenian and
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  Spanish, and he also speaks English.
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  He can communicate with many teammates and coaches and this
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  helps him explain plays and understand scouting reports.
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  Being multilingual helps during international tournaments too.
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  Luca plays for the Slovenia national team.
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  In 2017, Slovenia won the Euro Basket championship, which is
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  the top European tournament for national teams.
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  A few years later, at the Tokyo Olympics held in 2021, he scored
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  48 points in his Olympic debut, which tied for the second
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  highest single game total in Olympic men's basketball history
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  at that time. Playing for his country is
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  important to him, and he brings the same energy to international
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  games that he brings to the NBA. Now for a fun lifestyle question
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  that reveals something new about Luca's life off the court.
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  What is the name of his pet dog? The answer is Hugo.
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  Hugo is a small Pomeranian. Lucas shared photos and short
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  clips of Hugo during team trips and at home.
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  Pets can help people relax after long days.
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  For athletes who travel a lot, time with a pet can be a calm
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  part of their routine. Let's look at training and daily
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  habits. Lucas spends time watching video
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  of games to study defenders and plan counters.
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  He ractices footwork drills like 1-2 stops, hot stops and pivots
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  to stay balanced. He repeats his shooting form
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  from different distances, starting close to the basket and
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  moving out. He also does conditioning with
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  sprints, slides, and agility ladders to keep his legs strong.
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  On game days, players often have a warm up that includes light
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  stretching, ball handling and shooting from their favorite
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  spots on the floor. Luca tapes his ankles and wrists
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  for support and wears his signature sneakers from Jordan
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  Brand, which are designed for quick moves and stability.
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  Here is a quick yes or no question about numbers and
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  choices. Did Luca choose the number 77
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  because the number 7 was already taken on his NBA team?
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  Yes. The number 7 was not available
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  when he arrived in Dallas, so he picked 77.
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  It was a simple solution that he kept and now fans recognize it
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  right away. Another did you Know moment,
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  Luca is strong at drawing fouls by protecting the ball with his
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  body and showing clear shooting motions, which sends him to the
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  free throw line. He practices free throws to keep
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  his form steady when he is tired.
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  He also communicates constantly with teammates, pointing to
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  spots where he wants them to cut or set screens.
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  These are small details that help A-Team Run play smoothly.
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  Here is a final trivia flip that adds one more detail about draft
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  night. On the night he was drafted, who
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  was the other rookie involved in the trade that brought Luca to
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  Dallas? The answer is Trey Young.
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  The Hawks and Mavericks exchanged the rights to the two
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  players and both went on to become All Stars.
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  This shows how a single event on draft night can shape teams for
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  many years. Before we wrap up, let's recap
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  what you learned. Luka Donich is a Slovenian star
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  who plays for the Los Angeles Lakers with jersey number 77.
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  He grew up practicing core skills, moved to Real Madrid's
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  Academy at 13, turned pro at 16, and one major European awards in
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  2017. He entered the NBA in 2018
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  through a draft night trade and 1 Rookie of the Year.
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  He is known for the step back three, strong passing and smart
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  decision making in close games. He has set huge records
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  including a 60 point triple double and a 73 point game.
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  He plays for Slovenia's national team one Euro basket in 2017 and
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  scored 48 in his Olympic debut. He speaks multiple languages,
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  studies game film, trains hard, and even finds time to relax
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  with his dog, Hugo. With careful practice, teamwork,
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  and focus under pressure, Lucas shows how dedication can turn
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  talent into results. Thanks for listening and keep
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  your curiosity active every day. Grab your.
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  Breakfast, feeling fine, adventures waiting.
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  Don't be late. Today's the.
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  Day we celebrate Kick Ass Daily starts your day.