Luka Dončić is one of those rare athletes who makes the impossible look like a casual Tuesday afternoon at the gym. If you’re asking what year did Luka get drafted, the short answer is 2018. But honestly, just knowing the year doesn't even scratch the surface of the absolute chaos that went down on draft night. It wasn't just a selection; it was a franchise-altering heist that people in Dallas will be talking about for the next thirty years.
He was 19. A kid from Slovenia who had already conquered Europe. While American college stars were playing against nineteen-year-olds in half-empty stadiums, Luka was winning the EuroLeague MVP and a championship with Real Madrid. He was a professional playing against grown men. Yet, for some reason, the NBA scouting world was split right down the middle on whether his game would actually translate to the pace of the American league.
The Night the Mavericks Stole a Superstar
So, let's look at the specifics of the 2018 NBA Draft. It was June 21, 2018, held at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The atmosphere was electric because everyone knew this class was loaded with talent like Deandre Ayton, Marvin Bagley III, and Trae Young.
The Phoenix Suns had the first pick. They went with Ayton. Safe. Big man. Local kid from Arizona. Then the Sacramento Kings were on the clock at number two. This is where it gets spicy. Vlade Divac, a legend in his own right, passed on Luka to take Marvin Bagley III. It’s a move that still haunts Kings fans to this day.
Then came the Atlanta Hawks at three. They actually drafted Luka Dončić. For about fifteen minutes, Luka was technically a Hawk. But a deal had already been cooked up behind the scenes. Donnie Nelson and the Dallas Mavericks brass were obsessed with Luka. They traded their fifth overall pick (which became Trae Young) and a protected 2019 first-round pick to Atlanta just to move up those two spots.
It worked.
The Mavericks got their man.
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Looking back, the 2018 draft changed the trajectory of three different franchises simultaneously. Atlanta got a perennial All-Star in Trae Young, but Dallas got a generational, "face of the league" type of talent. Some scouts worried about Luka's "lack of athleticism." They thought he was too slow. They were wrong. He didn't need a 40-inch vertical because his basketball IQ was already higher than most veterans in the league.
Why the 2018 Date Matters
Timing is everything in the NBA. If Luka had entered the draft a year earlier or later, he might have ended up in a completely different situation. By landing in Dallas in 2018, he got exactly one season to play alongside the legendary Dirk Nowitzki. It was a literal passing of the torch. Dirk was the greatest European player ever; Luka was the heir apparent.
The transition was seamless.
In his rookie year (2018-2019), Luka didn't just play well—he dominated. He averaged 21.2 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 6.0 assists. Those are numbers most players hope to hit in their prime. He took home the Rookie of the Year trophy, and suddenly, those questions about his "European pace" evaporated.
The Scouting Bias of the Late 2010s
It's wild to think about now, but the reason Luka fell to third (and technically fourth if you count the trade value) was a lingering prejudice against international players. Even after Dirk, even after Pau Gasol, there was this weird fear that a "doughy" kid from Slovenia couldn't handle the athleticism of NBA wings.
The 2018 draft was the final nail in the coffin for that line of thinking.
Luka proved that skill, vision, and size trump raw vertical leap every single time. He uses his body like a shield. He manipulates defenders with his eyes. When you watch him play today, you see the remnants of that 2018 prospect who was already "too smart" for his peers. He wasn't just a rookie; he was a finished product who was still somehow getting better.
Honestly, the Mavericks' front office deserves a statue for that trade. Trading away a future first-round pick is always a gamble. Trading away a talent like Trae Young is even ballsier. But they saw something in Luka that transcended the standard scouting report. They saw a player who could carry a city.
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Breaking Down the Top 5 of 2018
To understand the context of what year did Luka get drafted, you have to see who he was standing next to on that stage.
- Deandre Ayton (Phoenix Suns)
- Marvin Bagley III (Sacramento Kings)
- Luka Dončić (Drafted by Atlanta, traded to Dallas)
- Jaren Jackson Jr. (Memphis Grizzlies)
- Trae Young (Drafted by Dallas, traded to Atlanta)
Ayton has been a solid contributor, and Jaren Jackson Jr. became a Defensive Player of the Year. Trae Young is a scoring machine. But Luka? Luka is in a different stratosphere. He’s the guy you build a statue for. He’s the guy who puts up 60-20-10 stat lines and acts like it was nothing special.
The disparity between Luka and the players taken before him is one of the biggest talking points in modern sports history. It’s right up there with the Portland Trail Blazers passing on Michael Jordan for Sam Bowie. It’s that significant.
Beyond the Year: The Impact of the Luka Era
Since that 2018 draft night, the NBA has shifted. We see more teams willing to hand the keys to the franchise to international teenagers. The "Luka Effect" made it okay to trust a kid who didn't play a single minute of NCAA basketball.
If you're a fan trying to track his career, 2018 is the "Year Zero." Everything before that was the prologue in Madrid. Everything after is the legend of "Luka Magic." He’s already broken records held by Michael Jordan and LeBron James. He’s become a perennial MVP candidate. And it all started with a draft-day trade that almost didn't happen.
There were rumors that other teams were trying to jump into the top three to snag him. Imagine Luka in a New York Knicks jersey. Imagine him in Chicago. The Mavericks moved aggressively because they knew the window was closing.
The Financial Legacy of 2018
Because he was drafted in 2018, Luka was part of a specific rookie scale contract that eventually led to him signing a historic "supermax" extension. In 2021, he signed a five-year deal worth over $207 million. This was the first time a player was eligible for such an extension based on making All-NBA teams during their rookie contract.
His success literally changed how much money players can make early in their careers if they perform at an elite level.
Actionable Takeaways for NBA History Buffs
If you're looking to dive deeper into the history of this specific era, here is how you can contextualize Luka's entry into the league:
- Watch the Draft Day Documentary: There are several behind-the-scenes looks at the Mavericks' "War Room" from 2018. It shows just how nervous they were that Atlanta might change their mind.
- Compare the "Step-Back": Look at Luka’s highlights from his final year at Real Madrid (2017) versus his rookie year in Dallas (2018). His signature move was already perfected before he ever stepped foot on an NBA court.
- Track the 2018 Class: Keep an eye on the other players from that year. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was also in that draft (picked 11th). It is arguably one of the top five deepest draft classes in the history of the sport.
- The EuroLeague Precedent: Understand that Luka entered the 2018 draft as the youngest MVP in EuroLeague history. This is a massive piece of evidence often ignored by those who doubted him.
The year 2018 didn't just give us a new player; it gave the NBA its next global icon. Whether you love the Mavs or just love the game, you have to respect the scouting brilliance (and the bit of luck) that allowed Luka Dončić to land where he did. It’s a moment in time that redefined what we expect from a "rookie" and proved that greatness doesn't always come from the traditional American pipeline.
Next time someone asks you about Luka's start, you can tell them it was 2018—but make sure you mention that the Kings passed on him. That’s the most important part of the story.