Luka Dončić’s first six shots Sunday afternoon clanged off the rim, leaving him to roll his eyes and throw up his hands in disbelief. Finally, when he powered his way into the paint for a bank shot against a smaller Belgian defender, he turned to the rim and blew a kiss.
From there, Slovenia’s superstar guard controlled every part of the EuroBasket 2025 game. Dončić finished with 26 points, 11 assists and 10 rebounds in an 86-69 victory over Belgium, recording just the fifth triple-double in EuroBasket history and the first of his career in the European Basketball Championship.
Belgium coach Dario Gjergja said he would have preferred a different kind of performance. For much of the afternoon, Slovenia’s spacing and ball movement flowed through Dončić, who picked apart the defense with passes to cutters and shooters whenever the Belgians sent help.
“For me, I’d prefer he score 50,” Gjergja said. “To be honest, I’d prefer he score 50, but the others don’t execute … because he’s capable of making everybody better, never mind about quality around him. And this is why he’s a superstar.”
Dončić joined Poland’s Mateusz Ponitka, Romania’s Rares Mandache, and Croatia’s Toni Kukoc and Stojko Vrankovic as the only players to ever post a triple-double in EuroBasket competition.
Slovenia coach Aleksander Sekulic said the accomplishment was about more than numbers. He emphasized that Dončić set the tone with his focus from the opening tip, even after his early misses, and that his leadership carried into every possession.
“The thing is that I saw he made a triple-double, but what impresses me is the way he approached this game, knowing that we are a better team with better individuals,” Sekulic said. “Even though he never underestimated anyone and he was locked in from the first to last minute. That only just shows the greatness, not only the stats, but his mindset.”
Overcoming Early Frustration
Slovenia had opened the tournament with two narrow defeats, losing to host Poland and group favorite France despite Dončić scoring 34 and 39 points. In the loss to France, he slapped his hands together after missed shots and held his fists to his head after turnovers, clearly frustrated.
Afterward, he said the responsibility was on him to improve.
“It’s not about me being perfect. I think everybody, you know, we lose as a team, we win as a team,” Dončić said. “So I know I made a lot of mistakes today. I know I can do way better. So we’ve got to watch film and be better the next day.”
Against Belgium, Dončić found a balance between scoring and creating. Slovenia had seven players score at least six points, building a 21-point lead in the fourth quarter and never trailing after the opening minute. The Slovenians dominated the paint 40-18 and out-rebounded Belgium 43-31.
Teammates Back Luka Dončić
Within the Slovenia locker room, Dončić’s teammates said the historic stat line felt inevitable. For Alen Omic, the triple-double was simply a matter of time, given how much responsibility Dončić carries for the national team every summer.
“(Luka’s triple-double) is normal, we were just waiting for the moment, and it happened today,” Omic said. “We need to keep going, stay together: that’s the most important for our country.”
Edo Muric said the performance only reinforced what he already believed. He has played alongside Dončić in both triumphs and struggles with the national team and said the standard for excellence has become routine.
“He’s breaking records, and I’ve always believed he could do this,” Muric said. “This is a normal day at the office for him. I’m even more glad that today we showed we can play good defense, and that we won.”
On the Belgium side, guard Emmanuel Lecomte said his team struggled to handle Dončić’s presence. Every defensive scheme led to mismatches, and foul trouble mounted as Belgium tried to keep him out of the paint.
“It’s a completely different dynamic to play this kind of player, but we did our best,” Lecomte said. “He put us in really big trouble in terms of fouls, and overall, Slovenia did a great job.
Looking Ahead
The victory gave Slovenia its first win of EuroBasket 2025, improving to 1-2 in Group D. They face Iceland on Tuesday before closing group play Thursday against Israel. The top four teams from each group advance to the knockout stage in Latvia.
Slovenia will need more of Dončić’s all-around brilliance to keep advancing, but for one night in Katowice, his rare triple-double put him in the history books and lifted his team’s chances.
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