“It helped me learn new skills”: Luka Doncic reveals secret to his success

There are few player in the NBA that can match Luka Doncic for all-round offensive talent. Blessed with dazzling ball skills, unerring shooting and a high basketball IQ, Doncic can be unstoppable in full flow.

But the Los Angeles Lakers star has had to work hard to hone those talents and may have his unusual sporting upbringing to thank for his multifaceted playing style. Whereas many professional athletes are made to focus on their chosen sport from a young age, Doncic was a keen playing of many sports during his youth.

The Serbian is a particular fan of soccer - both watching and playing - and cited the game’s influence as a key part of his overall sporting development. Appearing on Sports Center, he was asked about his childhood spent combining basketball with other sports. Doncic insisted that he believes the multi-sport upbringing helped to make him the player that he is today.

“It helped me a lot, for sure. I was never forced into one sport. Obviously I was worst at the others than basketball but just having other sports, you can learn different skills. Like soccer, there’s some footwear there that I transferred to basketball. So it definitely helped me a lot.”

There is a growing belief that, for talented youth athletes, maintaining a good balance in sporting activities can actually produce elite players of a higher quality. The combination of different sports can boost players’ motor control and reduce the risk of injury from over-training, setting them up for a career in top-level sports.

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