If Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic would give the basketball equivalent of “give them a taste of their own medicine,” trash-talking opponents in their foreign language would come on top of his list, as he just did with the Mavs’ recent matchup with Orlando Magic.
Magic started out the game with two German players: Franz Wagner and rookie Tristan da Silva. Mortiz Wagner came to the game later on from the bench. At that point, three out of five players from the team were German and thus also spoke the language.
During the post-game conference, Luka told in a story that when he heard the three players from the opposing team speak German, he decided to show them the “little” German he knows.
“I mean, five players, two of them were German,” he recalled. “I heard them talking in German, so I said some things in German, you know,” Doncic said. “I know German a little bit.” He cited learning German for five years at school.
Luka Doncic on talking trash to some of the Orlando Magic players in German:
“I heard them talking in German, so I said some things in German…”
Says he learned German for five years in school, and when asked about what words he was saying, he said to “ask Maxi.” pic.twitter.com/1z2IDqWYAx
— Noah Weber (@noahweber00) November 4, 2024
When asked what exactly he said in German to the magic players, Luka Duncic simply quipped to ask his fellow Mavs player Maxi Kleber, who is also a German.
It is worth noting, however, that this is also in good faith and just for a little added fun, as Duncic clarified that he has no ill feelings towards his German fellow players.
“I think there’s a lot of potential, you know,” he said. Germany was the World Cup champion, which is an amazing accomplishment. So, I think they have a bright, bright future there.”
Luka Doncic Channeling His Inner Kobe Bryant
Fans were not only impressed by Luka’s display of language skills, but how this court stunt seemed to be a reflection of how the late Kobe Bryant also trash-talked opponents in their own language. One of the notable instances was when he did such to Luis Scola during the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Luka Doncic finished the game with Magic with a total of 32 points, seven assists, and nine rebounds. He made 25 of those points in the first half, and he made a total of five three-pointers. Currently, the Mavs has a 4-2 win-lose streak, and are set to face off with The Indiana Pacers next.
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