Born on February 28, 1999, in Ljubljana, Slovenia, Luka Don?i? spent 18 years in Europe before being drafted into the NBA at the age of 19, in 2018. In Europe, Luka played for the Real Madrid basketball team and won two back-to-back EuroLeague Rising Star awards.
Don?i? was initially drafted by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2018 NBA Draft as the third overall pick, but was traded to the Dallas Mavericks on draft night in exchange for Trae Young. The exchange turned out to be very successful for both teams, with Luka just marginally being ahead of Trae in the race.
Don?i? is now consistently appearing on NBA All-Star weekends and is having a good start to a well-anticipated superstar career. He is averaging 26.4 points, 8 assists, and 8.5 rebounds per game in his career so far. ‘Luka Magic’ is known for his slow-tempo, powerful, passing and textbook play which he is consistently showing.
After playing four seasons in the NBA and three seasons in Europe, at the age of 23, Luka has quite a few individual achievements to his name, including:
- 3x All-Star (2020, 2021, 2022)
- 3x All-NBA First team (2020, 2021, 2022)
- All-Rookie First Team (2019)
- Rookie of the Year (2019)
- EuroLeague champion (2018)
- EuroLeague MVP (2018)
- EuroLeague Final Four MVP (2018)
- All-EuroLeague First Team (2018)
- FIBA Intercontinental Cup champion (2015)
- 2x ACB Best Young Player Award (2017, 2018)
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Luka Don?i?’s Investments
- Luka owns and lives in a US$2.7m mansion in Guernsey Lane, Preston Hollow, Dallas. The 5,225 sq ft house sits on a 0.78-acre land.
- He owns an Audi A7, reportedly worth US$69,700, and a Porsche Panamera worth US$89,000.
- He bought his first equity stake in sports drink company BioSteel in March 2021.
Luka Don?i?’s Net worth
Till the 2020-21 season, Luka was still under his rookie contract and was up for an extension in the following off-season. The Mavericks jumped with both feet into the opportunity and offered him a five-year contract worth US$207 million, which would pay Luka more than US$30 million per year from the 2022-23 season.
As of 2022, Luka’s net worth is US$25 million — a number which will only increase with time. Out of this massive net worth, a little more than US$6 million comes from his endorsements alone.
Luka Don?i?’s Charity work
- Don?i? has been involved in charity work even before he came to the NBA. In 2017, he auctioned his shoes to raise money for young basketball talent. The shoes were sold for around US$115,000.
- Don?i? participated in a charity tennis match after he joined the NBA in 2018, which was organised by Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki.
- In 2021, Luka made multiple visits to the Make-A-Wish Foundation for children; he also sponsored 200 fully-paid vacations for patients at a Children’s hospital.
- Luka has refurbished a few basketball courts in his hometown, Ljubljana, and has also donated charity money and gifts to young talents in Slovenia.
Luka Don?i?’s Sponsors / Endorsements
Ever since winning the Rookie of the Year award in the 2018-19 season of the NBA, Luka Don?i? has been the young face of the league. His charming personality and dominating gameplay make him quite a magnet for big-name brands. According to reports, Luka earns something between US$6 million and US$10 million from endorsements alone.
Here are some of Luka’s top endorsement deals:
Jordan
Luka entered the NBA without any shoe deal but was instantly approached by several top brands. Ultimately, he penned a five-year deal with Jordan in 2019, reportedly worth US$75 million. Don?i? and Jordan also released the former’s first signature shoe in April 2022, called The Luka 1, with the Formula 23 midsole, which is known for giving the most sustainable performance than any other.
2K Games
After ending his deal with EA, Luka signed with 2K Games in 2021 as he was not happy with the progress of EA Sports’ NBA Live series and had more trust in the NBA 2K series.
NBA 2K22 was released on September 10, 2021, and Don?i? was revealed as the game’s official cover athlete. The money involved in the deal was not revealed.
Panini America
In April 2021, Panini America announced a deal with Don?i?. The deal includes exclusive autographs and memorabilia. The trading card company already had deals in place with the NBA and the Dallas Mavericks and was happy to announce the young Slovenian as its recent ambassador.
BioSteel
Apart from being an equity shareholder of BioSteel, Luka is also the Chief Hydration Officer of the company. The deal was announced in March 2021. Part of this deal includes Luka being involved in the company’s campaign to introduce a sugar-free substitute for sports drinks.
In 2019, BioSteel was acquired by a cannabis company, Canopy Growth. Since then, Canopy Growth has handled all the distributions of the hydration company and provided direct-to-store service for the consumers and also started partnering with the country’s top gas stations and grocery stores.
WME Sports
Don?i? signed with WME (William Morris Endeavor) Sports to represent him in all areas off the court. Luka and the talent agency announced the deal in October 2021.
With Don?i? signing an extension deal with the Mavericks and getting big endorsements, WME plays an important role in the growth of the youngster’s off-court life and helps him expand and polish his portfolio.
Luka Don?i?’s Past endorsements
Fanatics
In 2019, Fanatics signed a deal with Don?i? that included the rights to his autographed merchandise and trading cards. The deal ended in 2021 when Luka transferred his rights to Panini America.
Electronic Arts (EA)
In December 2019, Don?i? was announced as the cover athlete for NBA LIVE by EA. Luka stuck with the deal with EA up until 2021 but didn’t make much progress as 2K Games’ NBA 2K series was doing much better in the video gaming world. This made Luka shift from EA to 2K in 2021.
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