Tokyo Olympics 2021: Luka Doncic blasts FIBA after Slovenia loses to France

A grumpy Luka Doncic wore an ice pack on his left wrist to his press conference and before blasting FIBA after Slovenia dropped to a thrilling 90-89 defeat.

A grumpy Luka Doncic wore an ice pack on his left wrist to his press conference and was heard yelling “FIBA happened” in the mixed zone after Slovenia dropped to a thrilling 90-89 defeat against France late on Thursday night.

The NBA superstar’s first career loss in international basketball – he was 17-0 going into the game – sets Slovenia up with a bronze-medal showdown against the Boomers, who fell to Team USA in the earlier semi-final.

Doncic cut a frustrated figure for most of the game, arguing with officials and battling his own shooting woes, before members of the media heard him mention FIBA – the international basketball governing body – on his walk to the locker room.

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Luka Doncic reacts after injuring himself while chasing a loose ball out of bounds and running into the scorers table. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Despite becoming just the third player in Olympic history to record a triple-double, Doncic was unable to will Slovenia to a gold-medal showdown against Team USA as France proved too good, thanks to a game-winning Nicolas Batum block inside the Saitama Super Arena.

Doncic told reporters his wrist was “OK” after colliding with courtside plexiglass trying to save the ball with 6:56 left in the game.

But the evidence suggested otherwise as the 22-year-old, who is the pulse of the Slovenian offence, failed to attempt a single field goal in the final four minutes of the contest.

"FIBA happened" - Luka Doncic yelled after I asked Ziga Dimec to summarise the end of the 4th quarter of the Olympics semifinal. Luka was raging in the mix zone and repeated several times that FIBA is happy about the result.

— Marius MilaÅ¡ius (@mamilasius) August 5, 2021

“It was nothing,” Doncic claimed.

“My shots weren’t falling, so I tried to find my open teammates.”

If it turns out to be more than “nothing”, it’ll be a massive blow to Slovenia, who will need all of Doncic’s offence against an Australian defence that has proven to be the difference against every team they’ve faced, with the exception of the United States.

Doncic did struggle from the field; the Dallas Mavericks All-Star needing 18 shots to reach 16 points. Of course, he was still the best player on the court as he added 18 assists and 10 rebounds. Slovenia is competing in its first-ever Olympic campaign.

With a population of just 2 million, they’ve been carried to the promised land by a talent that is rare among the rare in Doncic.

A dejected Luka Doncic walks off the court. (Photo by Aris MESSINIS / AFP)

“We’re not going to give up yet,” Doncic said.

“We’ve got one more final to go. And that’s what we came here for.”

Slovenia head coach Aleksander Sekulic refused to talk about Australia, as he too proved irritable in a press conference that made clear it won’t just be the Boomers who need to regroup and move on before Saturday’s game.

“I hope I’m not being too rude,” Sekulic said.

“I don’t want to talk about Australia right now, OK?”

Originally published as Tokyo Olympics 2021: Luka Doncic blasts FIBA after Slovenia loses to France