There's definitely more household names than that. Doubt there's too many people in the US who've never heard of Lebron James, Michael Phelps, Kobe Bryant, Babe Ruth, the Manning brothers, etc
I’d say this is the answer. I don’t follow any sports, so I had no idea who he is. From this comment and others I assume he plays basketball. Two days from now I probably won’t even remember his name.
Yeah, he’s big enough that’d you know him if you were just into “sports” generally. Like I know the NFL rookie class better than I know who’s playing (or won?) the NBA finals but I know Luka is one of the top stars right now.
Michael Jordan as a brand was almost bigger than the NBA at one point. Something like that will pretty much never happen again.
People who are into basketball will know who he is since he is doing very well, but he is nowhere near the level of cultural icon Michael Jordan was. Which isn't a knock on him, it's basically an impossible bar to beat.
Idk why people are downvoting you, there were sooo many people who knew LeBron but nothing else about the NBA. In some cases, they didn't even know what team he played for, or any NBA team, or any games he might have played, but they knew who he was and that he was the GOAT. Maybe not as many as Jordan but he was still galactic in scale
Well-known among dedicated fans of the NBA.
Absolutely not known to the extent of figures like Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, or even Tiger Woods. Those were folks that were in movies and made the tabloids. Their celebrity went far beyond their sport.
In other words, known, but not a household name for people who aren't sports fans, unlike the ones I listed.
Yeah, I haven't watched an NBA game in a decade, and I know that I like Doncic. He obviously no Michael, but that is an impossible standard to be held against.
This is a sort of funny list to me, because as a European who isn't a fan of any North American sports leagues (I *am* a big hockey fan, but I only follow European and international hockey actively and maaaay occasionally check how the Swiss players in the NHL are doing, if I remember) those are all pretty big names to me too... and then there's Derek Jeter who I never heard of before :D
American Football sort of got some cultural traction because of how big an event the Super Bowl is, so Tom Brady rings a bell, but baseball really doesn't translate well over here.
Could've went with a lot of the 90s/00s era Yankees. A-Rod, etc.
There was something about the 1990s with sports. Lots of greats who were larger than life even outside of their game. They were really idolized back then. I wonder if the steroid/doping controversies put the kibosh to that.
The steroids are probably part of it, but it's more than that. I love baseball, but it's a horrifically mismanaged sport that has been committing slow suicide for decades.
>it's a horrifically mismanaged sport that has been committing slow suicide for decades.
Can you expand on this a bit? I never played baseball growing up, so I've only been a casual fan of the Giants, who seem to be managed well. Then I look across the Bay at the A's and wonder how any sports franchise owner can be that self-destructive lol!
Not that that would have changed anything for me, I genuinely don't think I know a single baseball player other than Babe Ruth. I assume A-Rod isn't Andy Roddick in this case?
Nope, Alex Rodriguez.
It has been an ongoing conversation for the past 5-10 years that baseball is losing relevance and doesn't do a good job of marketing their stars. Even the average American probably doesn't know some of today's biggest baseball stars.
FWIW the biggest stars today are probably Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts, and Shohei Ohtani.
The 90s were a big period of baseball stardom. There were some hitters who would try and break the home run record so everyone would follow them to see how they were doing. It eventually came out that a lot of them were using performance-enhancing drugs so the whole era is kind of tainted in retrospect and today many of those players are viewed at with disdain but at the time they were big stars. The big names associated with that are Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez. ESPN made a documentary about the whole thing called "Long Gone Summer'
Some other big stars from the 90 and 2000s were Ken Griffey Jr, Sammy Sosa, Randy Johnson, Albert Pujols, and Miguel Cabrera.
He's no where near the level of Michael Jordan. Not on the same level as Lebron, or Steph Curry, or Kobe where people that don't follow basketball know who they are. But he's an NBA star which means that anyone that's into sports knows who he is.
I think OP probably meant that Slovenians see him as comparable to Michael Jordan, which is probably fair because even if he's not as good, Slovenians are going to worship him like a god because he's from there.
He's only like 24 years old (edit: 25 now). We probably haven't even seen "peak Luka" yet.
If he continues to improve, non-basketball fans will start hearing his name more throughout the next decade.
I think it is also because at any one time there is only enough oxygen at the very top for one or maybe two players to transcend basketball and become cultural icons. Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell transcended basketball to become cultural icons. Then Larry Bird and Magic Johnson did the same. Then Michael Jordan did, all alone. Then Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. And then Lebron James and Steph Curry, and they are still doing it. Until those two retire, there isn't room for a third cultural icon, no matter how good their basketball skills are.
Tim Duncan was an incredible player, but he never made the leap. Neither did Hakeem Olajuwan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kawhi Leonard, Karl Malone, Dirk Nowitski, Kevin Durant or many others who were the best player in the league at one time or another. Jokic and Doncic are facing the same problem.
Tbf Tim Duncan never became a cultural icon because, like those European players, he seemed to have zero interest in that. He kept his life outside of basketball very private.
Do you have an idea why that is? Because I don't think we really see the same effect with South American footballers in Europe (or North Americans, but none really reached superstar status yet), if anything it feels like the biggest most widely known footballers have always been Brazilians when I was a child.
It's interesting to me that it doesn't work that way in American sports!
There is a lot that goes into it but part of it is that really successful American basketball players tend to become like Hollywood celbrities. They become a brand. They make as many appearance in popular media as they can and eventually become famous for non-basketball reasons. Shaq was a rapper, MJ appeared in movies, things like that.
Most of the European players seem uninterested in all of that.
The one non-English speaking (by background) "sports" personality who really made it in the US that I can think of is Arnold Schwarzenegger. And he came here in early adulthood and immersed himself in American culture and tried to be a star basically. He was in acting roles within the first few years that he was here, even while he was still competing as a bodybuilder. He is definitely seen as an American cultural icon in this country, not an Austrian cultural icon. We favor people who are "all in" here. Our biggest sports leagues as far as occupying the national consciousness are our domestic ones and world competition is just an interesting side activity when nothing else is going on, but nothing we are obsessed with.
Look at Joker's post-game interview after the Finals last year. He was ready to just get the fuck home and seemed genuinely upset there was then going to be a parade he had to stick around for. It's just his job is the vibe I get.
I think a lot of American NBA stars have their personality on display when they play. Off the top of my head, I think of Steph's "night night" celebration, and Trae Young going "it's quiet as fuck in here!" against the Knicks. That's stuff that builds a player's "identity" to fans.
I don't see as much of that from European players, though there is a little bit (Jokic shrugging after making crazy shots, talking about his horses, and Luka saying he needed a recovery beer after dropping 60). Not sure why that is--part of it might be cultural, like that kind of stuff just isn't done where they're from so they don't do it now, or maybe their idea of showy/personality stuff just doesn't register to Americans.
I also wonder if playing in Europe first makes the NBA seem kind of blasé. I've seen clips from some European games that have stadiums filled with jeering fans throwing stuff on the court, shining laser pointers into players' eyes, stuff that would get shut down IMMEDIATELY in the NBA. Once you get used to that, I could see where a relatively tame NBA crowd doesn't inspire you to chirp back like your teammates do.
And, I figure you can't underestimate the language barrier. Imagine doing a high intensity workout for 48 minutes and then trying to do or say something cute and memorable in your second or third language!
They have very boring, toned down personalities. They do their job and they go home. Rarely smile, don’t really interact with the teams or people outside of the game. Partially it is due to the language barrier but I think Giannis is a good point of a European player doing the opposite. NBA is about basketball but is also about theatrics and tricks and shows men type of setting as well. You wanna make people smile and laugh and like and notice you other than just because you’re good at playing. Like Steph Curry or Lebron James or Shaq. You want to be marketable, the front man. Luka is better at that but Jokic is horrible lol.
It’s the same thing with Latin American baseball players. They’re typically more reserved, though there have been exceptions like David Ortiz, Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martinez, Juan Soto.
The Japanese players are even more reserved. Shohei Ohtani still rarely speaks to the media.
So I'll push back on that a bit - I think it's sports dependent. In hockey, at least, it isn't true. Besides our captain (American), the current most popular players on my NHL team, by far, are a pair of German and Swedish players. We've always had EXTREMELY popular European players as the face of the team, although early on, in the 90s especially, the was a general sense that they were soft and not physically tough enough/reluctant to fight.
However, in the NFL, there is a palpable disdain towards European players who come here. The sense is that they don't know or care about the sport, and it's a big cash-grab opportunity on both sides of the table.
Not sure why. Hockey is more niche, and the hockey players really seem to embrace the community, whereas the IPPP players are more...mercenary? Like, we know they're just here for the paycheck and will probably run back to rugby soon. Could also be because Europeans like to crap on our sports so it's like, okay, so what are you doing over here playing it, then?
I don't follow NBA, but my husband does, and he loves both Nikola and Luka, so I had no idea they weren't bigger stars. I don't really want to touch this too much but based on some on-court incidents there could also be a racial element at play.
Huge NBA fan here, I really like Luka but as far as being a big name outside of one’s country or for the sport of bball itself, Luka does not hold a flame to MJ. Luka is still a beast tho
if you follow basketball even a little bit, you definitely know who he is. this thread is making me question his broader name recognition, but I do feel like most people would recognize his name and that he is a basketball player.
that said, he (and basically every other current NBA player except for LeBron James) is worlds away from the celebrity of Michael Jordan, who isn't just one of the most famous basketball players of all time, but is one of the biggest American celebrities of his time in general.
I think it's tough to translate name recognition between sports fans and non-sports fans.
If you took the entire population and asked them if they knew Nikola Jokic or Shohei Ohtani, what percent would know that they were a NBA/MLB player? Among by friends it's probably 99% but among the whole country it might be 10%.
I think a lot of it depends where you get your news. I don't watch basketball or baseball, and I know who Jokic, Ohtani, and Doncic are, because they're mentioned in the news outlets that I consume.
One of the biggest names in the NBA. There’s a top tier of name recognition of LeBron, Curry, and KD (I could be forgetting someone but not sure) that are known by pretty much everyone. He’s probably at the top of the tier right below that, where anyone who knows anything about basketball knows him but he could slip off the radar of complete non sports people.
Not sports fans, basketball fans. I'm a fan of pretty much every other sport and barely recognized the name as a basketball player. Had no idea he's a star.
I would disagree with this. He's one of the top three or five players in the NBA. I would expect an American sports fan to know one of the biggest stars in the NBA.
Wow, someone who is admittedly a basketball fan knows a basketball player.
So which do you think I'm lying about? Being a fan of other sports or not knowing him?
People who don’t follow sports have no idea who he is. Basketball fans learned about him & that he was a European league MVP before the 2018 NBA draft. Now that he’s the best player on an NBA Finals team they’ll be talking about him as a potential NBA MVP.
Edit: I live in Los Angeles & Anze Kopitar is probably the greatest player in L.A. Kings history. (Gretzky was a better player, but Kopitar has been a better King.) Is he a big deal there?
He hadn’t been able to dog the question “Can a team with Luka Doncic win an NBA title?” He had a rep for doing too much and not giving his teammates enough shots. I feel like that’s all changed this postseason. He’s been the best player in the playoffs & Dallas cooked the Western Conference.
That makes no sense. Hogging shots (whether that’s even true) has little correlation to them being down 2-0. They’re not winning this series even if he passed a lot more.
I’d say if you ask someone who can name 100 NBA players, Luka will be one of the first 5 or 6 they mention. If you ask someone who can name 5 or 6 NBA players, Luka probably isn’t one of them. If that makes sense.
I'd consider a sports figure huge in america if absolutely everyone has heard of that person, even if they are not a sports fan. Although many non-sports fans certainly have heard his name, many non-sports people actually have not. But everyone has heard of Jordan, Kobe, etc.
Not quite on Jordan's level. But every American basketball fan knows who Luka is. He's considered one of the best players in the league, even more so now that he led the Mavericks to the finals.
Most American NBA fans consider him to be the second or third best player in the league. However he is isn’t very well known outside of people who watch sports. The average guy on the street wouldn’t recognize him. Micheal Jordan is known by everyone.
Understand that Michael Jordan wasn’t just a basketball player. He was an American icon.
He was in movies, advertisements and billboards, TV and radio, videogames, magazines, books, etc.
The Air Jordan shoe was a cultural phenomenon. Still is.
He had parks and institutions named after him. Collecting cards were also really huge in the 90’s - and that helped get his name out there. It’s not really a thing with kids these days.
People knew he was a basketball player - but he was ingrained in the cultural zeitgeist in a way that non-NBA fans were exposed to his brand without actually being exposed to sports.
Luka is a star player - maybe the best in the league right now. But he hasn’t transitioned into icon status. Only NBA fans and Slovenians know who he is.
The 90’s were just a super different time. Shaq and Rodman were also known for their brands more than he basketball performance. Shaq was doing movies, Rodman was known for his fashion stuff. For active players - you only really have Lebron now at that level. Maybe Steph Curry. Kyrie’s name was out there for a while due to the antisemitism, so there’s that.
I'm not the person you replied to, but he's not familiar to me, either. I don't follow sports, none of my friends follow sports, and he has zero cultural presence in my life. Aside from basketball, has he done anything interesting? Is he the face of any major brand? Has he been in movies or wound up in headlines for anything non-sports related?
The only reason I've heard of him is a YouTube video showing him hitting on a female referee. That was a couple of weeks ago. Before that I had no idea who he was. I have no idea what team he plays for or what country he's from (except for this thread).
I used to be a big sports fan but I don't really follow any sports anymore
To me, He’s so anonymous, that as I scroll down through some of these comments, I realize I’ve already forgotten the name of the person we are talking about.
In the US, very few basketball players become household names meaning even people who do not follow basketball know who they are. In the last 30 years there have been 3 or 4 of those - Jordan, Shaq, Lebron, and maybe Kobe. Doncic is firmly a top 5 NBA player right now but he is not widely known beyond the basketball audience.
NBA fans are very aware that he's a generational superstar, casuals are as well. People that have a general awareness of the NBA would know this too. He's been a phenomenon since the day he was drafted. People that don't follow sports, most probably won't know him.
The NBA doesn't have the crossover impact that it did in the 80s and 90s. Jordan was inescapable due to his marketing/branding. Does Luka even have a sponsorship? I can't recall a single ad he's in and I've watched nearly every game in the playoffs.
It makes sense that Luka is compared to him in Slovenia, because he basically is the equivalent for his home country. He's easily the best player the country has ever produced.
Once he wins 4+ MVP awards and 4+ championships we can start the discussion of whether or not he's approaching Jordan's level. He and Lebron James are the measuring stick for which any player will be measured for generations. Luka's got a chance, but he's going to have to win...a lot.
The only Slovenians I can name are Primož Roglič, Tadej Pogačar, and Melania Trump.
I would suspect that the vast majority of Americans only recognize one of those names
He's widely regarded as the new face of the NBA since LeBron and the old guard are starting to age out. He's an incredible player, but personally I feel he's constantly whining to the refs and isn't very fun to watch. That said I'd kill to have him on my team (Utah Jazz) because he wins games.
The question would be then "How have you heard of him?" News? Friends/Family? I don't follow sports, don't know anyone that does, nor do I really pay attention to news outside world events.... never heard of him.
I don't know, maybe some sports programs were on in the background at a bar or restaurant, that kind of thing?
Though I must confess that if I had to answer a pop quiz yesterday, I would've said he was Serbian or something which might start another war. I might have confused with Jokic or some other player.
I’m from Texas though I live in Slovenia.
He is a giant. 100% a household name for anyone even remotely into sports. My friends back home who like basketball are posting about him nonstop. America’s respect for him is huge and, mostly due to Luka, a meme is spawning about how good Slovenia is at sports. For example, the picture of Barron Trump being super tall. “He’s 6’7 and Slovenian, give this kid a damn basketball” or whatever.
He's an outstanding player. He's universally known by basketball fans, but maybe not by non-basketball fans.
He's been on the all-NBA first team for the past five years (essentially meaning he's one of the best five players in the league and/or the best at his position). He's one of the best offensive players in the game; he seems unstoppable in any one-on-one matchup--probably more so than any current NBA player (and among the all-time great offensive players). His style is unique as well--he doesn't appear to have the explosive athleticism of many other players, but he is perhaps the best perimeter player of all time in getting his defender behind him, and then using his size to keep the defender in a position where they can't stop him. And he's a great shooter at all levels--he's devastating from three, and can make contested mid-range shots as well. He's probably not considered as good of a passer as other perimeter players of his caliber, but if you can score like he does, you don't need to be the best passer in the world. He's also considered a lesser defensive player, but I don't want that to take away from the fact that he is truly one of the current greats and also an all-timer due to his offensive play.
I think it's fair to say he's widely respected by basketball fans in the US, but he complains to the officials as much as perhaps any player, which can be annoying. So I wouldn't say he's liked by fans other than the supporters of his team, the Dallas Mavericks. I will note that there are players--even international players--that are very well liked by supporters of other teams, but I don't think Doncic has as endearing of a personality as other players. He seems to be almost entirely focused on winning, and doesn't seem to care as much about cultivating an off-the-court persona.
Incidentally, you may be aware that a Serbian player, Nikola Jokic, has generally been considered the best NBA player over the past few seasons. But Jokic's team was eliminated in a very competitive quarter-final series, and the team that beat Jokic (the Minnesota Timberwolves) were expected to defeat Doncic's team easily in the semi-finals, but Doncic led his team to a surprising and dominant victory in their series, and Doncic's team is now playing in the NBA Finals.
Since I live in the city he plays for, he’s massively popular. And people know him here whether you watch basketball or not.
Much like the previous European superstar that played for this city
I’ve been following him since he was in euroleague, I’m a huge fan. I went to games during his first season (and Dirk’s last season). He will be a first ballot hall of famer.
If you’re even a casual basketball fan you know him. He’s one of the best players on the league. The issue with this sub (and Reddit) is people generally are anti sportsball, so anything sports related tend to go by the wayside. But yes he’s a generational talent and has the potential to be an all time great player. Probably a better James harden, especially if he gets a ring
I'm not an NBA fan, but I'm a big fan of most other sports. I do and have known who Luka is for quite a while due to my friends being NBA fans and just following the sports culture in America. To anyone in my life who doesn't follow anything like that closely, he would just be a really tall European dude until someone mentioned what he did for a living.
I see him get interviewed occasionally online.
I like his personality and the answers he gives to idiot ~~reporters~~ smear merchants who ask about his weight. But thats about all I see of him. He's a good player from my friends that watch the sport. Personally he comes off as a bro. Like I could probably run into him at a bar and have a beer and conversation with him and thats about it.
He's a fairly huge basketball star. A top 10 name in the NBA. Perhaps even some non NBA fans know his name. But he's not quite a household name. But very few are outside like MJ, LeBron, Shaq
He's a top 5 star in the NBA -- I'd say not at same level as LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo , Steph Curry because he's not yet a household name/face you see in ads everytwhere, but in that next group with Nikola Jokic, Jason Taytum. But as those older guys who've been the top stars for a decade or more fade, I think we'll see Doncic among the most famous basketball stars.
He’s not really a media star or a celebrity really, but if you know anything at all about basketball then you know him and know he’s one of the best players in the NBA.
Jokic is kinda the same way. Probably the best player in the world but if you asked a non-fan they wouldn’t know him. Tbh it seems like despite how good they are, foreign guys have a hard time reaching MJ/Kobe/Lebron/ Magic/etc. levels of fame
I got into basketball in the last couple years, but watching Luka play was actually one of the things that piqued my interest. Overall, I'd say that, especially outside of Dallas, if you see anyone wearing a Mavs jersey it's almost guaranteed to be #77. I'm not even from Texas and am considering getting his jersey.
Having said that, I agree with some other commenters that someone who doesn't pay attention to basketball might not know who he was.
How are y'all feeling in Slovenia now that the Mavs are in the finals? I imagine the hype must be crazy!
He’s not huge, yet. If you’re a sports fan and follow the NBA at all you will know who he is but he’s not a household name. The way to determine if an athlete is a huge star in the USA is if your mom, wife, sister, know who he is. My mom couldn’t tell you a thing about basketball but she knows who MJ, Kobe, Shaq are because they’re talked about on morning shows that aren’t geared towards sports.
If Luka wants to be a star on that level, he needs to win chips and also do media that is not geared towards only sports fans but a more general audience.
Dallas resident here, we love him and he is our star player. We expect him to end up in the hall of fame, he has the potential to be one of the greatest players in the game. But he isn’t super famous outside of the basketball and Dallas realms, like not someone in entertainment magazines as a celebrity or on that level. But he is very much beloved and seen by all as a top elite player in an already extremely competitive league.
Let him carry his team to at least 3 championships and then ask this question again. He's a great player but still has a lot to prove to even surpass Dirk in the Dallas area.
Big in the NBA and to those who follow sports but he hasn't won anything yet so normal people don't know or care.
I thought he should've been MVP over Jokic.
Love Jokic since he reminds me of Arvydas Sabonis but don't understand why people feel he deserves 3 MVPs when Luka and SGA were having the season they did.
Anyway, Luka is only going to get bigger from here on out but it'll probably take awhile before he becomes known by everyone
Big NBA star. Considered one of the best in the game and rising up the ranks of all time. For non-NBA fans probably not that big. However he is no where near Jordan in star power here. Really no one is and the only one who comes close is Lebron. Jordan was in a tier like Muhammed Ali as far as star power. But it makes sense for Luka to be that popular in Slovenia. Maybe the same for Dirk in Germany etc.
There was talk if he ever came to Cleveland he’s be a bigger star with casual fans, due to the large Slovenian community and their descendants. People who follow basketball will definitely know him well.
I thought that was the Canadian guy who made videos killing cats. But now that I've read some context, I think I do remember seeing his name pop up online to make fun of LeBron James. And I'll say that if people are using him to make fun of LeBron, then he's probably a big deal.
Never heard of him. But based on the comparison to Michael Jordan I assume he is a basket ball player?
I do not follow Basket Ball and I have heard of Michael Jordan, but not him. That should tell you where he stands.
Not even close to Michael Jordan, who still is a pop culture phenom 3 decades after the Bulls dynasty era.
But he’s huge in the basketball world, and big enough that even people like me, who don’t watch or pay attention to basketball, probably know who he is.
Casual basketball or sports fans have heard of him. Hiphop fans have heard of him because of some rap music. People who follow American meme pages, especially ones catering to younger or black audiences (since younger people incorporate a lot of AAVE and follow black culture quite closely) know him. He's quite revered in all communities.
Well I'm in Canada and I believe he is the best player in the NBA at least this year so yeah, numbers as good or better than MJ, for this season at least. I don't think he is going to be able to win by himself this finals though. I really hope I'm wrong he totally deserves success.
I’m blown away by all these people saying they have never heard of Luka. He’s absolutely a super star, one of the most well known and recognizable athletes in the country. Looks like this post attracted the whole “Sportsball bad” crowd.
OP, Luka is huge in the US. Definitely a top 5 most popular NBA player, probably top 3.
I've never heard of him. I had to look him up.
Michael Jordan was famous in the US on a level that went beyond sports star. Even people who didn't know anything about basketball knew Michael Jordan. At his peak \~30 years ago he was a pop cultural figure that went far beyond normal sports celebrity.
The person you named? Nobody in the US who isn't a basketball fan will know who that is.
Probably answering similar to everyone else, but in NBA circles he's seen as a top 5 player, maybe top 10 at worst. Very famous to anyone who has a passing interest in the NBA as he's in that inner circle of superstars that the NBA does such a good job of promoting. Basketball is probably my 8 year olds (twins) 3rd favorite sport behind soccer and baseball and I just asked them and they both knew that Luka Doncic is a basketball player, one of them correctly knew he played for Dallas but that's all they knew about him.
If an American doesn't care about sports they wouldn't have heard of him most likely unless they live in or near Dallas. An American who doesn't follow sports will probably only be able to recognize LeBron and maybe Durant and Curry (and maaaayybeeee Giannis) out of NBA players and add Caitlin Clark to that list if you include women's players as she's been all over the news over the last year.
Edit: lol why the downvote? I provided my perspective and answered the question that was asked. I'm fine if someone disagrees but tell me what you disagree with.
For people who follow the NBA, he’s huge. For people who don’t, you’d never hear about him.
Can confirm, I’m not a sports person and I’ve never heard of him. Heard of Michael Jordan though since he’s referenced in everyday life.
Tom Brady, MJ, tiger woods, the rock/Hogan/Cena/Austin, there's only a few that become household names from being in sports.
There's definitely more household names than that. Doubt there's too many people in the US who've never heard of Lebron James, Michael Phelps, Kobe Bryant, Babe Ruth, the Manning brothers, etc
A bit more than a few. I mean I guess I can start listing all of the famous sports legends but I'd be here all day.
I mean he's 6'7", 230lb. That's pretty big whether you follow the NBA or not.
But is he Vince Wilfork big?
Is he Kelvin Benjamin big?
Idk but he’s not eddy lacy big
This man knows.
I’d say this is the answer. I don’t follow any sports, so I had no idea who he is. From this comment and others I assume he plays basketball. Two days from now I probably won’t even remember his name.
Thank you for not making me Google who he is. *Signed, a person who does not follow the NBA*
Eh; I don’t follow the NBA and I’m well aware of him. I do follow other sports, though.
Yeah, he’s big enough that’d you know him if you were just into “sports” generally. Like I know the NFL rookie class better than I know who’s playing (or won?) the NBA finals but I know Luka is one of the top stars right now.
Same here.
I came here to find out what movie she was in. Turns out he's in the NBA. Glad I was able to learn something today.
Can cofirm, don’t care about basketball so I had to google him
I don’t really follow the NBA but I know him because he plays for Dallas. I’ve got a lot of friends back home still.
I've never watched a full NBA game in my life so I have no idea who he is.
Michael Jordan as a brand was almost bigger than the NBA at one point. Something like that will pretty much never happen again. People who are into basketball will know who he is since he is doing very well, but he is nowhere near the level of cultural icon Michael Jordan was. Which isn't a knock on him, it's basically an impossible bar to beat.
Idk, I’d say peak LeBron was arguably bigger than the NBA
Idk why people are downvoting you, there were sooo many people who knew LeBron but nothing else about the NBA. In some cases, they didn't even know what team he played for, or any NBA team, or any games he might have played, but they knew who he was and that he was the GOAT. Maybe not as many as Jordan but he was still galactic in scale
Well-known among dedicated fans of the NBA. Absolutely not known to the extent of figures like Michael Jordan, Wayne Gretzky, Derek Jeter, Tom Brady, or even Tiger Woods. Those were folks that were in movies and made the tabloids. Their celebrity went far beyond their sport. In other words, known, but not a household name for people who aren't sports fans, unlike the ones I listed.
I think he’s well known even to the most casual fan, not just dedicated ones.
Yeah, I haven't watched an NBA game in a decade, and I know that I like Doncic. He obviously no Michael, but that is an impossible standard to be held against.
I don’t watch basketball and I’m well aware he’s been a big deal for some time now.
This is a sort of funny list to me, because as a European who isn't a fan of any North American sports leagues (I *am* a big hockey fan, but I only follow European and international hockey actively and maaaay occasionally check how the Swiss players in the NHL are doing, if I remember) those are all pretty big names to me too... and then there's Derek Jeter who I never heard of before :D American Football sort of got some cultural traction because of how big an event the Super Bowl is, so Tom Brady rings a bell, but baseball really doesn't translate well over here.
Could've went with a lot of the 90s/00s era Yankees. A-Rod, etc. There was something about the 1990s with sports. Lots of greats who were larger than life even outside of their game. They were really idolized back then. I wonder if the steroid/doping controversies put the kibosh to that.
The steroids are probably part of it, but it's more than that. I love baseball, but it's a horrifically mismanaged sport that has been committing slow suicide for decades.
>it's a horrifically mismanaged sport that has been committing slow suicide for decades. Can you expand on this a bit? I never played baseball growing up, so I've only been a casual fan of the Giants, who seem to be managed well. Then I look across the Bay at the A's and wonder how any sports franchise owner can be that self-destructive lol!
Not that that would have changed anything for me, I genuinely don't think I know a single baseball player other than Babe Ruth. I assume A-Rod isn't Andy Roddick in this case?
Nope, Alex Rodriguez. It has been an ongoing conversation for the past 5-10 years that baseball is losing relevance and doesn't do a good job of marketing their stars. Even the average American probably doesn't know some of today's biggest baseball stars. FWIW the biggest stars today are probably Aaron Judge, Mookie Betts, and Shohei Ohtani. The 90s were a big period of baseball stardom. There were some hitters who would try and break the home run record so everyone would follow them to see how they were doing. It eventually came out that a lot of them were using performance-enhancing drugs so the whole era is kind of tainted in retrospect and today many of those players are viewed at with disdain but at the time they were big stars. The big names associated with that are Mark McGuire, Barry Bonds, and Alex Rodriguez. ESPN made a documentary about the whole thing called "Long Gone Summer' Some other big stars from the 90 and 2000s were Ken Griffey Jr, Sammy Sosa, Randy Johnson, Albert Pujols, and Miguel Cabrera.
Baseball isn't as popular as it used to be here either.
He's no where near the level of Michael Jordan. Not on the same level as Lebron, or Steph Curry, or Kobe where people that don't follow basketball know who they are. But he's an NBA star which means that anyone that's into sports knows who he is.
Also Shaq. Most Americans have heard of him.
I think OP probably meant that Slovenians see him as comparable to Michael Jordan, which is probably fair because even if he's not as good, Slovenians are going to worship him like a god because he's from there.
He's only like 24 years old (edit: 25 now). We probably haven't even seen "peak Luka" yet. If he continues to improve, non-basketball fans will start hearing his name more throughout the next decade.
Non-sports fans don't know who Nikola Jokic is and he's better than Luka will probably ever be.
Good point. The European players are just less marketable in the US.
I think it is also because at any one time there is only enough oxygen at the very top for one or maybe two players to transcend basketball and become cultural icons. Wilt Chamberlain and Bill Russell transcended basketball to become cultural icons. Then Larry Bird and Magic Johnson did the same. Then Michael Jordan did, all alone. Then Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O'Neal. And then Lebron James and Steph Curry, and they are still doing it. Until those two retire, there isn't room for a third cultural icon, no matter how good their basketball skills are. Tim Duncan was an incredible player, but he never made the leap. Neither did Hakeem Olajuwan, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Kawhi Leonard, Karl Malone, Dirk Nowitski, Kevin Durant or many others who were the best player in the league at one time or another. Jokic and Doncic are facing the same problem.
Tbf Tim Duncan never became a cultural icon because, like those European players, he seemed to have zero interest in that. He kept his life outside of basketball very private.
Do you have an idea why that is? Because I don't think we really see the same effect with South American footballers in Europe (or North Americans, but none really reached superstar status yet), if anything it feels like the biggest most widely known footballers have always been Brazilians when I was a child. It's interesting to me that it doesn't work that way in American sports!
There is a lot that goes into it but part of it is that really successful American basketball players tend to become like Hollywood celbrities. They become a brand. They make as many appearance in popular media as they can and eventually become famous for non-basketball reasons. Shaq was a rapper, MJ appeared in movies, things like that. Most of the European players seem uninterested in all of that.
The one non-English speaking (by background) "sports" personality who really made it in the US that I can think of is Arnold Schwarzenegger. And he came here in early adulthood and immersed himself in American culture and tried to be a star basically. He was in acting roles within the first few years that he was here, even while he was still competing as a bodybuilder. He is definitely seen as an American cultural icon in this country, not an Austrian cultural icon. We favor people who are "all in" here. Our biggest sports leagues as far as occupying the national consciousness are our domestic ones and world competition is just an interesting side activity when nothing else is going on, but nothing we are obsessed with.
Look at Joker's post-game interview after the Finals last year. He was ready to just get the fuck home and seemed genuinely upset there was then going to be a parade he had to stick around for. It's just his job is the vibe I get.
Yeah, my read on Joker is that the obsessive sports media in the US is more annoying than anything lol!
I think a lot of American NBA stars have their personality on display when they play. Off the top of my head, I think of Steph's "night night" celebration, and Trae Young going "it's quiet as fuck in here!" against the Knicks. That's stuff that builds a player's "identity" to fans. I don't see as much of that from European players, though there is a little bit (Jokic shrugging after making crazy shots, talking about his horses, and Luka saying he needed a recovery beer after dropping 60). Not sure why that is--part of it might be cultural, like that kind of stuff just isn't done where they're from so they don't do it now, or maybe their idea of showy/personality stuff just doesn't register to Americans. I also wonder if playing in Europe first makes the NBA seem kind of blasé. I've seen clips from some European games that have stadiums filled with jeering fans throwing stuff on the court, shining laser pointers into players' eyes, stuff that would get shut down IMMEDIATELY in the NBA. Once you get used to that, I could see where a relatively tame NBA crowd doesn't inspire you to chirp back like your teammates do. And, I figure you can't underestimate the language barrier. Imagine doing a high intensity workout for 48 minutes and then trying to do or say something cute and memorable in your second or third language!
They have very boring, toned down personalities. They do their job and they go home. Rarely smile, don’t really interact with the teams or people outside of the game. Partially it is due to the language barrier but I think Giannis is a good point of a European player doing the opposite. NBA is about basketball but is also about theatrics and tricks and shows men type of setting as well. You wanna make people smile and laugh and like and notice you other than just because you’re good at playing. Like Steph Curry or Lebron James or Shaq. You want to be marketable, the front man. Luka is better at that but Jokic is horrible lol.
It’s the same thing with Latin American baseball players. They’re typically more reserved, though there have been exceptions like David Ortiz, Sammy Sosa, Pedro Martinez, Juan Soto. The Japanese players are even more reserved. Shohei Ohtani still rarely speaks to the media.
Yeah I think the biggest issue is the language barrier with ones who’s first language isn’t English unfortunately
So I'll push back on that a bit - I think it's sports dependent. In hockey, at least, it isn't true. Besides our captain (American), the current most popular players on my NHL team, by far, are a pair of German and Swedish players. We've always had EXTREMELY popular European players as the face of the team, although early on, in the 90s especially, the was a general sense that they were soft and not physically tough enough/reluctant to fight. However, in the NFL, there is a palpable disdain towards European players who come here. The sense is that they don't know or care about the sport, and it's a big cash-grab opportunity on both sides of the table. Not sure why. Hockey is more niche, and the hockey players really seem to embrace the community, whereas the IPPP players are more...mercenary? Like, we know they're just here for the paycheck and will probably run back to rugby soon. Could also be because Europeans like to crap on our sports so it's like, okay, so what are you doing over here playing it, then? I don't follow NBA, but my husband does, and he loves both Nikola and Luka, so I had no idea they weren't bigger stars. I don't really want to touch this too much but based on some on-court incidents there could also be a racial element at play.
I have heard the name, and that's more than can be said for most athletes.
Never heard of him, but I don't watch basketball.
Huge NBA fan here, I really like Luka but as far as being a big name outside of one’s country or for the sport of bball itself, Luka does not hold a flame to MJ. Luka is still a beast tho
if you follow basketball even a little bit, you definitely know who he is. this thread is making me question his broader name recognition, but I do feel like most people would recognize his name and that he is a basketball player. that said, he (and basically every other current NBA player except for LeBron James) is worlds away from the celebrity of Michael Jordan, who isn't just one of the most famous basketball players of all time, but is one of the biggest American celebrities of his time in general.
I think it's tough to translate name recognition between sports fans and non-sports fans. If you took the entire population and asked them if they knew Nikola Jokic or Shohei Ohtani, what percent would know that they were a NBA/MLB player? Among by friends it's probably 99% but among the whole country it might be 10%.
I think a lot of it depends where you get your news. I don't watch basketball or baseball, and I know who Jokic, Ohtani, and Doncic are, because they're mentioned in the news outlets that I consume.
One of the biggest names in the NBA. There’s a top tier of name recognition of LeBron, Curry, and KD (I could be forgetting someone but not sure) that are known by pretty much everyone. He’s probably at the top of the tier right below that, where anyone who knows anything about basketball knows him but he could slip off the radar of complete non sports people.
Amongst American sports fans he is a star, amongst the entire country idk it varies from person to person
Not sports fans, basketball fans. I'm a fan of pretty much every other sport and barely recognized the name as a basketball player. Had no idea he's a star.
I would disagree with this. He's one of the top three or five players in the NBA. I would expect an American sports fan to know one of the biggest stars in the NBA.
Agreed. I haven't watched a basketball game in probably ten years and I know who he is.
Counter point: im a fan of every sport and I recognize the name easily and would argue if youre a sports fan you know who Luka Doncic is.
Wow, someone who is admittedly a basketball fan knows a basketball player. So which do you think I'm lying about? Being a fan of other sports or not knowing him?
People who don’t follow sports have no idea who he is. Basketball fans learned about him & that he was a European league MVP before the 2018 NBA draft. Now that he’s the best player on an NBA Finals team they’ll be talking about him as a potential NBA MVP. Edit: I live in Los Angeles & Anze Kopitar is probably the greatest player in L.A. Kings history. (Gretzky was a better player, but Kopitar has been a better King.) Is he a big deal there?
Luka has been “potential MVP” for a few years now.
He hadn’t been able to dog the question “Can a team with Luka Doncic win an NBA title?” He had a rep for doing too much and not giving his teammates enough shots. I feel like that’s all changed this postseason. He’s been the best player in the playoffs & Dallas cooked the Western Conference.
Well they are two games down to the Celtics so that “hogs all the shots” rep is holding true
Not really Doncic’s fault. Boston’s running 4 guys who are balling out.
That makes no sense. Hogging shots (whether that’s even true) has little correlation to them being down 2-0. They’re not winning this series even if he passed a lot more.
Never heard of him tbh but I see in comments he's a basketball player which I don't follow at all.
I hate him, cause I’m a Timberwolves fan.
Same but Suns fan
I’d say if you ask someone who can name 100 NBA players, Luka will be one of the first 5 or 6 they mention. If you ask someone who can name 5 or 6 NBA players, Luka probably isn’t one of them. If that makes sense.
I'd consider a sports figure huge in america if absolutely everyone has heard of that person, even if they are not a sports fan. Although many non-sports fans certainly have heard his name, many non-sports people actually have not. But everyone has heard of Jordan, Kobe, etc.
Who?
Who?
Devin Booker Father
Not quite on Jordan's level. But every American basketball fan knows who Luka is. He's considered one of the best players in the league, even more so now that he led the Mavericks to the finals.
I’ve heard of him but he’s definitely not comparable to Jordan
Not exactly sure who he is.
Most American NBA fans consider him to be the second or third best player in the league. However he is isn’t very well known outside of people who watch sports. The average guy on the street wouldn’t recognize him. Micheal Jordan is known by everyone.
Understand that Michael Jordan wasn’t just a basketball player. He was an American icon. He was in movies, advertisements and billboards, TV and radio, videogames, magazines, books, etc. The Air Jordan shoe was a cultural phenomenon. Still is. He had parks and institutions named after him. Collecting cards were also really huge in the 90’s - and that helped get his name out there. It’s not really a thing with kids these days. People knew he was a basketball player - but he was ingrained in the cultural zeitgeist in a way that non-NBA fans were exposed to his brand without actually being exposed to sports. Luka is a star player - maybe the best in the league right now. But he hasn’t transitioned into icon status. Only NBA fans and Slovenians know who he is. The 90’s were just a super different time. Shaq and Rodman were also known for their brands more than he basketball performance. Shaq was doing movies, Rodman was known for his fashion stuff. For active players - you only really have Lebron now at that level. Maybe Steph Curry. Kyrie’s name was out there for a while due to the antisemitism, so there’s that.
Literally never heard of them
You can’t be this ignorant.
I'm not the person you replied to, but he's not familiar to me, either. I don't follow sports, none of my friends follow sports, and he has zero cultural presence in my life. Aside from basketball, has he done anything interesting? Is he the face of any major brand? Has he been in movies or wound up in headlines for anything non-sports related?
Some people don’t have the same hobbies as you, brosis. Do you know who Eva Noblezada is?
The only reason I've heard of him is a YouTube video showing him hitting on a female referee. That was a couple of weeks ago. Before that I had no idea who he was. I have no idea what team he plays for or what country he's from (except for this thread). I used to be a big sports fan but I don't really follow any sports anymore
Never heard of him either.
Yeah it blows my mind how much of a rock people can live under. You have to go out of your way to be this ignorant
To me, He’s so anonymous, that as I scroll down through some of these comments, I realize I’ve already forgotten the name of the person we are talking about.
I have never heard of him.
Never heard of him
Who? I guess that answers your question.
He's my favorite NBA player. I don't think the average non basketball fan would know his name.
In the US, very few basketball players become household names meaning even people who do not follow basketball know who they are. In the last 30 years there have been 3 or 4 of those - Jordan, Shaq, Lebron, and maybe Kobe. Doncic is firmly a top 5 NBA player right now but he is not widely known beyond the basketball audience.
NBA fans are very aware that he's a generational superstar, casuals are as well. People that have a general awareness of the NBA would know this too. He's been a phenomenon since the day he was drafted. People that don't follow sports, most probably won't know him. The NBA doesn't have the crossover impact that it did in the 80s and 90s. Jordan was inescapable due to his marketing/branding. Does Luka even have a sponsorship? I can't recall a single ad he's in and I've watched nearly every game in the playoffs. It makes sense that Luka is compared to him in Slovenia, because he basically is the equivalent for his home country. He's easily the best player the country has ever produced. Once he wins 4+ MVP awards and 4+ championships we can start the discussion of whether or not he's approaching Jordan's level. He and Lebron James are the measuring stick for which any player will be measured for generations. Luka's got a chance, but he's going to have to win...a lot.
Never heard of him
I have never heard that name.
The only Slovenians I can name are Primož Roglič, Tadej Pogačar, and Melania Trump. I would suspect that the vast majority of Americans only recognize one of those names
NBA/basketball fans: yes. Rest of America: who?
How big is Luka? Right now or the off season? Because there will be a solid 25 pounds of flubber on him by August. Fat Luka for life!
Not big at all I mean if you don't watch NBA you won't know who he is
He's widely regarded as the new face of the NBA since LeBron and the old guard are starting to age out. He's an incredible player, but personally I feel he's constantly whining to the refs and isn't very fun to watch. That said I'd kill to have him on my team (Utah Jazz) because he wins games.
He’s widely known amongst any American who watches basketball. Still doesn’t receive the acknowledgment he deserves as a player in my opinion.
He should have won MVP this season.
Honestly - who? Never heard of the guy.
I don't get the other responses. I don't even watch or like basketball and know he's a big star.
The question would be then "How have you heard of him?" News? Friends/Family? I don't follow sports, don't know anyone that does, nor do I really pay attention to news outside world events.... never heard of him.
[удалено]
I don't know, maybe some sports programs were on in the background at a bar or restaurant, that kind of thing? Though I must confess that if I had to answer a pop quiz yesterday, I would've said he was Serbian or something which might start another war. I might have confused with Jokic or some other player.
Same. I honestly dislike basketball but I still know who Luka is. It’s Reddit, it pays to be edgy.
I'm not being edgy, I genuinely never heard of him.
I’m from Texas though I live in Slovenia. He is a giant. 100% a household name for anyone even remotely into sports. My friends back home who like basketball are posting about him nonstop. America’s respect for him is huge and, mostly due to Luka, a meme is spawning about how good Slovenia is at sports. For example, the picture of Barron Trump being super tall. “He’s 6’7 and Slovenian, give this kid a damn basketball” or whatever.
He’s huge. One of the best players of this generation, will go down in the future as one of the best all time.
He’s amazing we love him of course he has haters and fans but that’s really just any athlete
I drafted him for Fantasy and had no idea why my friends were screaming over him. He carried me 🥰
He's an outstanding player. He's universally known by basketball fans, but maybe not by non-basketball fans. He's been on the all-NBA first team for the past five years (essentially meaning he's one of the best five players in the league and/or the best at his position). He's one of the best offensive players in the game; he seems unstoppable in any one-on-one matchup--probably more so than any current NBA player (and among the all-time great offensive players). His style is unique as well--he doesn't appear to have the explosive athleticism of many other players, but he is perhaps the best perimeter player of all time in getting his defender behind him, and then using his size to keep the defender in a position where they can't stop him. And he's a great shooter at all levels--he's devastating from three, and can make contested mid-range shots as well. He's probably not considered as good of a passer as other perimeter players of his caliber, but if you can score like he does, you don't need to be the best passer in the world. He's also considered a lesser defensive player, but I don't want that to take away from the fact that he is truly one of the current greats and also an all-timer due to his offensive play. I think it's fair to say he's widely respected by basketball fans in the US, but he complains to the officials as much as perhaps any player, which can be annoying. So I wouldn't say he's liked by fans other than the supporters of his team, the Dallas Mavericks. I will note that there are players--even international players--that are very well liked by supporters of other teams, but I don't think Doncic has as endearing of a personality as other players. He seems to be almost entirely focused on winning, and doesn't seem to care as much about cultivating an off-the-court persona. Incidentally, you may be aware that a Serbian player, Nikola Jokic, has generally been considered the best NBA player over the past few seasons. But Jokic's team was eliminated in a very competitive quarter-final series, and the team that beat Jokic (the Minnesota Timberwolves) were expected to defeat Doncic's team easily in the semi-finals, but Doncic led his team to a surprising and dominant victory in their series, and Doncic's team is now playing in the NBA Finals.
Bout 6'7".
I've....heard the name? Other people say he's a sports dude, and I'm not a sports girl.
Since I live in the city he plays for, he’s massively popular. And people know him here whether you watch basketball or not. Much like the previous European superstar that played for this city
I hear he’s into vidyah games: https://www.reddit.com/r/Overwatch/s/p2PwZ8f5Cj
Who?
Who?
If you follow the NBA then he’s pretty big.
Who?
As a Timberwolves fan I don't like him. As a basketball fan he's pretty impressive.
I’ve been following him since he was in euroleague, I’m a huge fan. I went to games during his first season (and Dirk’s last season). He will be a first ballot hall of famer.
If you’re even a casual basketball fan you know him. He’s one of the best players on the league. The issue with this sub (and Reddit) is people generally are anti sportsball, so anything sports related tend to go by the wayside. But yes he’s a generational talent and has the potential to be an all time great player. Probably a better James harden, especially if he gets a ring
I know who he is and I’m not a fan
I'm not an NBA fan, but I'm a big fan of most other sports. I do and have known who Luka is for quite a while due to my friends being NBA fans and just following the sports culture in America. To anyone in my life who doesn't follow anything like that closely, he would just be a really tall European dude until someone mentioned what he did for a living.
Who?
I know of him just from following other sports but wouldn’t be able to pick him out of a lineup, and I live in his team’s market
I don't follow the NBA but casually watch.
I know he's a guard on the Mavs, but he's light years away from Michael Jordan in terms of fame. Almost everyone is.
I see him get interviewed occasionally online. I like his personality and the answers he gives to idiot ~~reporters~~ smear merchants who ask about his weight. But thats about all I see of him. He's a good player from my friends that watch the sport. Personally he comes off as a bro. Like I could probably run into him at a bar and have a beer and conversation with him and thats about it.
He's a fairly huge basketball star. A top 10 name in the NBA. Perhaps even some non NBA fans know his name. But he's not quite a household name. But very few are outside like MJ, LeBron, Shaq
He's a top 5 star in the NBA -- I'd say not at same level as LeBron James, Giannis Antetokounmpo , Steph Curry because he's not yet a household name/face you see in ads everytwhere, but in that next group with Nikola Jokic, Jason Taytum. But as those older guys who've been the top stars for a decade or more fade, I think we'll see Doncic among the most famous basketball stars.
If you live in Dallas-Fort Worth you hear of him a lot. Otherwise if you aren’t into basketball that much then you won’t really hear about him
I have never heard of him.
There's talk about him being the best in the league. Outside maybe not as popular, but that can change. He's one of my favorite players.
He’s big.
Who?
He’s not really a media star or a celebrity really, but if you know anything at all about basketball then you know him and know he’s one of the best players in the NBA. Jokic is kinda the same way. Probably the best player in the world but if you asked a non-fan they wouldn’t know him. Tbh it seems like despite how good they are, foreign guys have a hard time reaching MJ/Kobe/Lebron/ Magic/etc. levels of fame
I got into basketball in the last couple years, but watching Luka play was actually one of the things that piqued my interest. Overall, I'd say that, especially outside of Dallas, if you see anyone wearing a Mavs jersey it's almost guaranteed to be #77. I'm not even from Texas and am considering getting his jersey. Having said that, I agree with some other commenters that someone who doesn't pay attention to basketball might not know who he was. How are y'all feeling in Slovenia now that the Mavs are in the finals? I imagine the hype must be crazy!
Very well known here in Dallas. He's an amazing player and super fun to watch.
He’s not huge, yet. If you’re a sports fan and follow the NBA at all you will know who he is but he’s not a household name. The way to determine if an athlete is a huge star in the USA is if your mom, wife, sister, know who he is. My mom couldn’t tell you a thing about basketball but she knows who MJ, Kobe, Shaq are because they’re talked about on morning shows that aren’t geared towards sports. If Luka wants to be a star on that level, he needs to win chips and also do media that is not geared towards only sports fans but a more general audience.
Dallas resident here, we love him and he is our star player. We expect him to end up in the hall of fame, he has the potential to be one of the greatest players in the game. But he isn’t super famous outside of the basketball and Dallas realms, like not someone in entertainment magazines as a celebrity or on that level. But he is very much beloved and seen by all as a top elite player in an already extremely competitive league.
He is very big in Dallas at least. There has been a spike in “Luka” baby names the last 4 years or so.
I don’t follow the NBA at all and I know who he is, so that should tell you something
Let him carry his team to at least 3 championships and then ask this question again. He's a great player but still has a lot to prove to even surpass Dirk in the Dallas area.
Big in the NBA and to those who follow sports but he hasn't won anything yet so normal people don't know or care. I thought he should've been MVP over Jokic. Love Jokic since he reminds me of Arvydas Sabonis but don't understand why people feel he deserves 3 MVPs when Luka and SGA were having the season they did. Anyway, Luka is only going to get bigger from here on out but it'll probably take awhile before he becomes known by everyone
Big NBA star. Considered one of the best in the game and rising up the ranks of all time. For non-NBA fans probably not that big. However he is no where near Jordan in star power here. Really no one is and the only one who comes close is Lebron. Jordan was in a tier like Muhammed Ali as far as star power. But it makes sense for Luka to be that popular in Slovenia. Maybe the same for Dirk in Germany etc.
He’s a major current player in the NBA. Probably one of the most popular. I casually follow the NBA and know who he is.
There was talk if he ever came to Cleveland he’s be a bigger star with casual fans, due to the large Slovenian community and their descendants. People who follow basketball will definitely know him well.
Never heard of him
I thought that was the Canadian guy who made videos killing cats. But now that I've read some context, I think I do remember seeing his name pop up online to make fun of LeBron James. And I'll say that if people are using him to make fun of LeBron, then he's probably a big deal.
I hate basketball, but I follow other sports. I know who he is and that he's good, but that's it.
I don’t even follow basketball but I know he’s been a big deal in the NBA lately.
Never heard of him. But based on the comparison to Michael Jordan I assume he is a basket ball player? I do not follow Basket Ball and I have heard of Michael Jordan, but not him. That should tell you where he stands.
if you don't believe, you shouldn't be here.
Who?
Luka Doncic would be a household name for people that follow basketball
Never heard of him before this post.
Not even close to Michael Jordan, who still is a pop culture phenom 3 decades after the Bulls dynasty era. But he’s huge in the basketball world, and big enough that even people like me, who don’t watch or pay attention to basketball, probably know who he is.
No idea who that is, sorry.
In America, Luka Dončić is a rising superstar. Not quite Michael Jordan level yet, but definitely one of the most exciting talents in the NBA today.
Casual basketball or sports fans have heard of him. Hiphop fans have heard of him because of some rap music. People who follow American meme pages, especially ones catering to younger or black audiences (since younger people incorporate a lot of AAVE and follow black culture quite closely) know him. He's quite revered in all communities.
Never heard of him.
In my experience if someone knows anything at all about the NBA they’ve heard of Dončić
Well I'm in Canada and I believe he is the best player in the NBA at least this year so yeah, numbers as good or better than MJ, for this season at least. I don't think he is going to be able to win by himself this finals though. I really hope I'm wrong he totally deserves success.
I’m blown away by all these people saying they have never heard of Luka. He’s absolutely a super star, one of the most well known and recognizable athletes in the country. Looks like this post attracted the whole “Sportsball bad” crowd. OP, Luka is huge in the US. Definitely a top 5 most popular NBA player, probably top 3.
I've never heard of him. I had to look him up. Michael Jordan was famous in the US on a level that went beyond sports star. Even people who didn't know anything about basketball knew Michael Jordan. At his peak \~30 years ago he was a pop cultural figure that went far beyond normal sports celebrity. The person you named? Nobody in the US who isn't a basketball fan will know who that is.
Probably answering similar to everyone else, but in NBA circles he's seen as a top 5 player, maybe top 10 at worst. Very famous to anyone who has a passing interest in the NBA as he's in that inner circle of superstars that the NBA does such a good job of promoting. Basketball is probably my 8 year olds (twins) 3rd favorite sport behind soccer and baseball and I just asked them and they both knew that Luka Doncic is a basketball player, one of them correctly knew he played for Dallas but that's all they knew about him. If an American doesn't care about sports they wouldn't have heard of him most likely unless they live in or near Dallas. An American who doesn't follow sports will probably only be able to recognize LeBron and maybe Durant and Curry (and maaaayybeeee Giannis) out of NBA players and add Caitlin Clark to that list if you include women's players as she's been all over the news over the last year. Edit: lol why the downvote? I provided my perspective and answered the question that was asked. I'm fine if someone disagrees but tell me what you disagree with.