Luka Dončić ( ; ; born February 28, 1999) is a Slovenian professional basketball player for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He also plays for the Slovenia national team and is regarded as one of the greatest European players of all time.

Born in Ljubljana, Dončić shone as a youth player for Union Olimpija before joining the youth academy of Real Madrid. In 2015 he made his debut for the academy's senior team at age 16, becoming the youngest in club history. He led Madrid to the 2018 EuroLeague title, winning the EuroLeague MVP and the Final Four MVP. Dončić was named the ACB Most Valuable Player and won back-to-back EuroLeague Rising Star and ACB Best Young Player awards. In addition, he was selected to the EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team.

In 2018, Dončić declared for the NBA draft, where he was drafted by the Atlanta Hawks and then traded to the Dallas Mavericks. He was selected unanimously to the NBA All-Rookie First Team and won Rookie of the Year for the 2018–19 season. In his next four seasons, he was selected to the NBA All-Star game and named to the All-NBA First Team. He is the Mavericks' franchise leader in career triple-doubles.

Dončić made his senior debut for Slovenia in 2016 at only 17 years of age. He would later help his country win its first EuroBasket title in 2017 while also being named to the All-Tournament Team.

Early life
Dončić was born in Ljubljana to Mirjam Poterbin, an owner of beauty salons, and Saša Dončić, a basketball coach and former player. His mother is Slovenian, and his father is a Slovenian of Serbian descent from Kosovo. His parents filed for divorce in 2008, with custody and legal guardianship granted to his mother.

According to his family, Dončić first touched a basketball when he was seven months old and frequently played with a miniature hoop in his room by age one. He played various sports in his childhood, including football, which he later quit after growing too tall. At age seven, he began playing organized basketball at a primary school in Ljubljana. His opponents at the time were up to ten years old, as Dončić reflected: "I was always training and playing with older kids who had much more experience than me. Many of them were bigger and faster than me too, so I had to beat them with my brain." He admired Greek basketball player Vassilis Spanoulis from his early teenage years, stating that he was "enchanted" by him. He wore the number 7 at Real Madrid in honor of Spanoulis. Dončić also grew up admiring American basketball player LeBron James.

Youth career

Union Olimpija
When Dončić was eight, his father started playing for his hometown club Union Olimpija. Olimpija Basketball School coach Grega Brezovec invited Luka to practice with players his age. Dončić was initially expected to practice with players his age. Still, only 16 minutes into his first training session, the coaching staff moved him to the 11-year-old group. Starting in the next session, he primarily practiced with Olimpija's under-14 team. Still, due to league rules, he only played for the club's under-12 selection team, coming off the bench against opponents three or four years older than him. Despite his exclusion from under-14 games at the time, Dončić often asked to attend practice, even when his coach asked him to stay home.

Representing Olimpija at the under-14 Vasas Intesa Sanpaolo Cup in Budapest in September 2011, Dončić was named the most valuable player (MVP) despite finishing as runners-up to FC Barcelona. In February 2012, he was loaned to Spanish club Real Madrid for the Minicopa Endesa, an under-14 Spanish club competition. Dončić averaged 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 3.3 steals per game to win tournament MVP honors, leading Real Madrid to a second-place finish. In April 2012, he participated in the under-13 Lido di Roma Tournament for Olimpija, finishing as MVP and leading scorer with 34.5 points per game. In the semi-final round of the event against Victoria Fermo, he posted 29 points and 15 rebounds. In a title-clinching win over Lazio, he erupted for 54 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists.

Real Madrid

In September 2012, at 13 years of age, Dončić signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid, immediately standing out on the under-16 team with coach Paco Redondo. He moved to Madrid, living with football and basketball prospects. In February 2013, Dončić led Real Madrid to a Minicopa Endesa win, averaging 24.5 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 steals per game. In the tournament's final game, he contributed 25 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 steals to defeat FC Barcelona and win MVP honors. In March, Dončić earned MVP accolades of the under-16 Spain Championship, scoring 25 points in a championship game win over the Gran Canaria youth team.

In the 2014–15 season, Dončić mainly played with Real Madrid's under-18 and reserve teams. He averaged 13.5 points, 5.9 rebounds, and 3.1 assists with the reserve team, helping them win Group B of the Liga EBA, the amateur fourth-division of Spanish basketball. By the end of the season, he earned all-league honorable mention accolades from the basketball website Eurobasket.com. In January 2015, Dončić won the under-18 Ciutat de L'Hospitalet Tournament and was selected to the All-Tournament Team, despite being two years younger than the rest of the team. On January 6, against the youth team of his former club Union Olimpija, he posted a double-double of 13 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. In May 2015, he also won the under-18 Next Generation Tournament, for which he was selected MVP after helping defeat defending champions Crvena zvezda Belgrade in the final.

Professional career

Real Madrid (2015–2018)

Early years (2015–2016)
On April 30, 2015, Dončić made his professional debut for Real Madrid in the Liga ACB against Unicaja, making his only three-point attempt in under 2 minutes of playing time. At 16 years, two months, and two days of age, he became the youngest player to ever play for Real Madrid in the ACB and the third-youngest debutant in league history, behind only Ricky Rubio and Ángel Rebolo. He played five games in the 2014–15 ACB season, averaging 1.6 points and 1.2 rebounds in 4.8 minutes per game.

In the 2015–16 season, Dončić became a regular member of Real Madrid's senior team. He played against the Boston Celtics in an NBA preseason game on October 8, 2015, collecting 4 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 block. On October 16, at age 16, he debuted in the EuroLeague, scoring 2 points in a loss to Khimki. Dončić became the 21st player ever to debut in the EuroLeague before turning 17. On October 18, he recorded 10 points and 4 rebounds in a 94–61 win over Gipuzkoa. On November 29, Dončić posted a season-high 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists against Bilbao. With the performance, he set a new ACB record for most points and the highest Performance Index Rating (PIR) in a game for players under age 17. He scored 12 points and grabbed 5 rebounds on January 7, 2016, against CSKA Moscow in the EuroLeague. After a Real Madrid time-out in the second quarter of the game, Dončić made three consecutive three-pointers, recording 9 points in 2 minutes. Through 39 games in the 2015–16 ACB season, he averaged 4.5 points, 2.6 rebounds, and 1.7 assists. In 12 EuroLeague games, he recorded 3.5 points, 2.3 rebounds, and 2 assists per game.

Rise to prominence (2016–2017)

Dončić made his 2016–17 season debut on September 30, 2016, against Unicaja, recording 6 points and 4 assists in 19 minutes. He collected 3 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists in an NBA preseason win on October 3, 2016, over the Oklahoma City Thunder. On December 4, he posted a double-double of 23 points and 11 assists, both season-highs, in a 92–76 win over Montakit Fuenlabrada. The game earned him his first ACB player of the week honor. Dončić scored a team-high 17 points in a EuroLeague victory over Žalgiris Kaunas on December 8, 2016. After recording 16 points, 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals in a 95–72 win over Brose Bamberg on December 22, he was named MVP of the Round in the EuroLeague, becoming the youngest player ever to do so. He earned the same honor on January 14, 2017, after posting 10 points, 11 rebounds, and 8 assists to help beat Maccabi Tel Aviv. On February 9, Dončić recorded 5 points, 7 rebounds, and 11 assists to defeat UNICS Kazan. He scored a season-high 23 points on February 18, in the Spanish King's Cup versus Baskonia. After scoring 13 points and grabbing 8 rebounds in the 2017 EuroLeague Playoffs against Darüşşafaka on April 26, he shared MVP of the Round accolades with two other players. Two days later, he won the award outright, posting 11 points, 5 rebounds, and 7 assists to lead Real Madrid to a EuroLeague Final Four berth. Through 42 ACB games in the season, Dončić averaged 7.5 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 3 assists. Through 35 EuroLeague contests, he averaged 7.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game. He was named EuroLeague Rising Star by a unanimous vote and claimed the ACB Best Young Player Award.

MVP season (2017–2018)
Dončić assumed a more significant role for Real Madrid entering the 2017–18 season after the team's star player Sergio Llull suffered a torn ACL during EuroBasket 2017. In his season debut on October 1, 2017, he recorded 8 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists in a 94–88 victory over MoraBanc Andorra. On October 12, Dončić scored a career-high 27 points in his first EuroLeague game of the season to help defeat Anadolu Efes. He nearly recorded a triple-double against Valencia in his next game, with 16 points, 10 assists, and 7 rebounds. On October 24, Dončić was named EuroLeague MVP of the Round after erupting for 27 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 3 steals. He was named MVP of the Round again two days later, eclipsing his career-best with 28 points in an 87–66 win over Žalgiris Kaunas. Dončić also grabbed 9 rebounds and had 4 assists in the game. At the end of October, he earned EuroLeague MVP of the Month honors, becoming the youngest player to win the award. On December 8, he set a career-high in scoring with 33 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists against Olympiacos Piraeus. Dončić led Real Madrid to a 79–77 victory over defending EuroLeague champion Fenerbahçe Doğuş on December 28, contributing 20 points, 10 assists, and 8 rebounds. Following a 24-point outburst versus Movistar Estudiantes on December 31, he was selected as Player of the Round in the ACB. He was later named ACB Player of the Month for December, becoming the award's youngest recipient.

On February 9, 2018, Dončić led his team with 27 points in a losing effort to Olympiacos, 80–79. He had another strong performance on February 17, versus Iberostar Tenerife in the 2018 Spanish King's Cup, posting 17 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 4 steals. On March 30, 2018, Dončić scored 24 points, grabbed 9 rebounds, and made a game-winning three-pointer under a second left in regulation to beat Crvena zvezda Belgrade, 82–79. On May 9, he recorded 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in 22 minutes against Real Betis Energía Plus, for the first triple-double in the ACB since the 2006–07 season, seventh in league history. Dončić finished with 16 points, 7 rebounds, and 2 assists on May 18, in a 92–83 win over CSKA Moscow in the EuroLeague semi-finals. On May 20, he guided Real Madrid to a EuroLeague finals victory over Fenerbahçe Doğuş. He was subsequently named EuroLeague Final Four MVP after scoring 15 points. Dončić won the EuroLeague MVP award, being its youngest winner, after averaging 16 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 4.3 assists per game over 33 EuroLeague games and leading the league in PIR. He also repeated as the EuroLeague Rising Star, becoming the third back-to-back winner. Also, Dončić earned the ACB Best Young Player and MVP accolades after helping his team defeat Kirolbet Baskonia in the league finals. On June 29, 2018, he parted ways with Real Madrid.

Accolades
In November 2019, Dončić was nominated to the EuroLeague 2010–20 All-Decade Team. In March 2020, he was selected for the 2010–20 All-Decade Team.

On March 23, 2021, the Real Madrid Football Club named Dončić and Spanish rally driver Carlos Sainz Sr. as honorary members, which is the highest distinction award of the club. The decision was made by the Real Madrid board of directors chaired by Florentino Pérez.

Dallas Mavericks (2018–present)

Rookie of the Year (2018–2019)

On June 21, 2018, Dončić was selected with the third overall pick by the Atlanta Hawks in the 2018 NBA draft. He was then traded to the Dallas Mavericks in exchange for the draft rights to Trae Young and a protected future first-round pick in 2019. After the draft, Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said, "At one point, we thought there might be a slight chance Dončić could fall to us, but a couple of days ago it was pretty clear that there was no way that was going to happen. He's just too good. We get a guy we think is franchise foundation piece." He signed his rookie contract with the Mavericks on July 9, 2018. Dončić did not play at the 2018 NBA Summer League due to his late buyout from Real Madrid. Before the 2018–19 season, ESPN considered him the favorite to win the NBA Rookie of the Year Award.

Dončić made his regular-season debut on October 17, 2018, recording 10 points, 8 rebounds, and 4 assists in a 121–100 loss to the Phoenix Suns. On October 20, Dončić recorded 26 points and 6 rebounds in a 140–136 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He became the youngest 20-point scorer in Mavericks history. On October 29, Dončić posted 31 points and 8 rebounds in a 113–108 loss to the San Antonio Spurs for his first 30-point game in the NBA. He recorded his first NBA double-double on November 19, with 15 points and 10 rebounds in a 98–88 loss to the Memphis Grizzlies. Dončić was named NBA Rookie of the Month in the Western Conference for November 2018. On December 8, Dončić scored 21 points in a 107–104 win over the Houston Rockets. After initial struggles, he produced a personal 11–0 run in the game's final minutes. On December 28, Dončić scored 34 points and became the youngest NBA player to make seven three-pointers in a game. He was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for December 2018. On January 21, Dončić recorded his first NBA triple-double with 18 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 116–106 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. The performance made him the third-youngest player in NBA history to accomplish the feat at 19 years and 327 days old, behind LaMelo Ball and Markelle Fultz. On January 27, Dončić scored a season-high 35 points and recorded his second NBA triple-double adding 12 rebounds and 10 assists in a 123–120 loss to the Toronto Raptors. He became the first teenager in NBA history with a 30-point triple-double and multiple triple-doubles. Two days later, Dončić was named a confirmed participant for the World Team representing Slovenia in the 2019 Rising Stars Challenge. Despite being second in fan voting, behind only LeBron James, and ranked 8th in the total voting score, Dončić wasn't selected for the Western Conference All-Stars in the 2019 NBA All-Star Game.

On February 6, Dončić recorded his third triple-double with 19 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 99–93 win over the Charlotte Hornets, which made him the youngest player in NBA history to record three triple-doubles. He edges Hall of Famer Magic Johnson by 117 days. On February 25, Dončić recorded his fourth triple-double with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 121–112 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Dončić was named Western Conference Rookie of the Month for January 2019. His eight triple-doubles ranked fourth on the season behind Russell Westbrook (34), Nikola Jokić (12), and Ben Simmons (10), as well as tied with LeBron James. Dončić became just the fifth player in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in his rookie year, joining Oscar Robertson (1960–61), Michael Jordan (1984–85), LeBron James (2003–04), and Tyreke Evans (2009–10). In May, Dončić was selected unanimously to the All-Rookie First Team. In June, he received the NBA Rookie of the Year Award. Dončić became the second European player, after Pau Gasol, to win the award and the sixth overall winner not born in the United States.

First All-Star and playoff appearance (2019–2020)
Dončić made his first triple-double of the season on October 25, 2019, posting 25 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists to help the Mavericks defeat the New Orleans Pelicans 123–116. In two consecutive games, on November 1–3, he recorded two triple-doubles and matched a career-high 15 assists in both games. On November 8, Dončić scored a career-high 38 points and recorded his twelfth NBA triple-double by adding 14 rebounds and 10 assists in a 106–102 loss to the New York Knicks. Ten days later, in a 117–110 win over the San Antonio Spurs, Dončić recorded a then-career-high 42 points and his sixth triple-double of the season by adding 11 rebounds and 12 assists. He made NBA history in a 142–94 win over the Golden State Warriors on November 20, when he posted 35 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists. He became the youngest player to have 35-point triple-doubles in succession, breaking Oscar Robertson's record. He was the fourth player to do so since the 1983–84 season, joining Michael Jordan, James Harden, and Russell Westbrook. In November, Dončić was named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Week for Week 5 (November 18–24), his first NBA Player of the Week award. On December 3, he won his first NBA Player of the Month award when he was named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Month for October and November. He became the youngest Western Conference Player of the Month winner since the league began issuing the award by conferences in the 2001–02 season. In December, he was named Sports Illustrated 2019 Breakout of the Year. On December 8, 2019, Dončić surpassed the record for the most consecutive games with at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists since the ABA-NBA merger in 1976. Michael Jordan previously held the record with 18 straight games in 1989. Dončić recorded his tenth triple-double of the season on January 4, 2020, posting 39 points, 12 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 123–120 loss to the Charlotte Hornets.

During the 2019–20 season, Dončić was selected to his first NBA All-Star Game as a Western Conference starter. He became the youngest European player to start in an All-Star game. On March 4, Dončić recorded his 22nd career triple-double, passing Jason Kidd for the most in Mavericks history. He registered 30 points, 17 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 127–123 overtime victory over the New Orleans Pelicans. Dončić recorded his 15th triple-double of the season on July 31, posting 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 153–149 overtime loss to the Houston Rockets. On August 4, Dončić recorded another triple-double with 34 points, 12 assists, and a career-high 20 rebounds in a 114–110 overtime win over the Sacramento Kings. With that, he became the youngest player to record 30+ points, 20+ rebounds, and 10 or more assists. On August 8, Dončić had a then-career-high 19 assists, which tied LeBron James for an NBA season-high, 36 points, 14 rebounds, and 2 turnovers in a 136–132 win against the Milwaukee Bucks. The game marked his 17th triple-double of the season and clinched his spot as the youngest player to lead the NBA in triple-doubles. On August 15, he was selected to the NBA's All-Seeding Games First Team for his play in the eight seeding games, where he averaged 30.0 points, 10.1 rebounds, and 9.7 assists per game. Dončić finished as one of the three finalists for the NBA Most Improved Player Award. He finished third behind eventual winner Brandon Ingram and second place Bam Adebayo. On August 17, Dončić made his NBA Playoffs debut, scoring 42 points (most ever in an NBA playoffs debut) in a 110–118 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. On August 23, he became the youngest player in NBA postseason history with a 40-point triple-double, scoring 43 points in a 135–133 overtime victory over the LA Clippers.  With that performance, he became just the second player in NBA history to record at least 43 points, 17 rebounds, and 13 assists in any game, joining Wilt Chamberlain as the other. On September 16, he was named to the All-NBA First Team. He became the first player since Tim Duncan in the 1998–99 season to be selected to an All-NBA First Team in a first or second season. He finished fourth overall in the season's final MVP results. He also became the second-youngest player ever to finish in the top five of MVP voting.

First division title and second All-NBA First Team (2020–2021)

On February 6, 2021, Dončić matched his then-career-high 42 points while putting up 11 assists and seven rebounds in a 134–132 win over the Golden State Warriors. On February 12, Dončić logged a career-high 46 points with 12 assists, 8 rebounds,  one block, and one steal in a 143–130 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. On May 1, Dončić recorded 31 points, 12 rebounds, and a career-high 20 assists in a 125–124 victory over the Washington Wizards. With that performance, he became just the fourth player in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double with at least 20 assists, joining Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Russell Westbrook. On May 7, he reached 5,000 points for his career. At the age of 22 years 68 days old, Dončić became the fourth-youngest player to achieve the feat, trailing only LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony. On May 22,  he recorded 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 113–103 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers in Game 1 of the 2021 NBA Playoffs. He became the first player in NBA history to have three triple-doubles in their first seven career postseason games. He also passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the youngest player in NBA history to record a playoff triple-double on the road. On May 28, he scored a then playoff career-high 44 points in a 118–108 loss in Game 3 of the Western Conference First Round against the Los Angeles Clippers. On June 6, in Dončić's first Game 7, he surpassed his playoff career-high with 46 points and 14 assists. The Mavericks fell short 126–111 and were eliminated in the First Round for the second consecutive season, despite leading the series 2–0. On June 15, he was selected to his second consecutive All-NBA First Team. Like the previous year, he became the first player since Tim Duncan to be selected twice to the All-NBA First Team in their first three seasons and just the sixth to do so since the ABA–NBA merger, joining David Thompson, Larry Bird, David Robinson, and Anfernee Hardaway.

First Western Conference Finals appearance (2021–2022)
On August 10, 2021, he signed a five-year $207 million rookie extension, the largest in NBA history. On February 3, Dončić was named as a reserve for the 2022 NBA All-Star Game. On February 5, Dončić logged his 44th career triple-double with 33 points, 13 rebounds, 15 assists, and two steals in a 107–98 win against the Philadelphia 76ers, overtaking Fat Lever for 10th on the all-time career triple-double list. On February 10, Dončić scored 28 of his career-high 51 points in the first quarter, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out six assists on 17-of-26 shooting from the field, including seven three-pointers, in a 112–105 win against the Los Angeles Clippers. On February 13, in a back-to-back against the Clippers, Dončić scored 23 of his 45 points in the fourth quarter, grabbed 15 rebounds, and dished out 8 assists in a 99–97 loss. With 96 points in the two games, Dončić had the most in a two-game span against the same opponent since Wilt Chamberlain scored 100 for Philadelphia against Seattle in December 1967. For his performances against the Clippers, he was named Western Conference Player of the Week. On February 18, Dončić scored 49 points, including seven three-pointers, to go along with 15 rebounds and 8 assists in a 125–118 win over the New Orleans Pelicans. He became the fourth player in NBA history to record multiple 45-point, 15-rebound, and five-assist games in a calendar month, as well as the first player to record at least 40 points, fifteen rebounds, five assists, five three-pointers, and a plus/minus of +20 in the same game.

On February 27, Dončić recorded 34 points, and 11 rebounds, leading the Mavericks back from 21 down in the third quarter against the Golden State Warriors in a 107–101 win. Dončić became the first player in NBA history to average 30 points, 10 rebounds, and 8 assists per game while shooting at least 40 percent from three-point range in a calendar month in the three-point era since 1980. On March 3, Dončić won his second career NBA Player of the Month award when he was named the NBA Western Conference Player of the Month for February; he is the second Maverick to win this award multiple times, joined by Dirk Nowitzki, who won it six times in his career. On March 29, Dončić logged his 46th career triple-double with 34 points (25 points in the first half), 12 rebounds, and 12 assists in a 128–110 win over the Los Angeles Lakers.

Dončić missed the first three games of the playoffs because of an injury in the final regular season game. On April 28, Dončić led the Dallas Mavericks to a 98–96 Game 6 win over the Utah Jazz to close the first-round series. It was the first time Dallas had advanced to the postseason's second round in Dončić's four-year NBA career. It was also the first time Mavericks won in the first round since winning the 2011 NBA Finals. On May 2, in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semi-finals, Dončić posted 45 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists in a 121–114 loss against the Phoenix Suns. On May 15, Dončić recorded 35 points, 10 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals in three-quarters in a 123–90 Game 7 win against the overall one-seed Suns, securing the Mavericks a place in the Western Conference Finals. On May 20, during Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, Dončić posted 42 points, 5 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 steals in a 126–117 loss against the Golden State Warriors. He joined Michael Jordan (917) & Wilt Chamberlain (867) as the only players in NBA History with 800 points through their first 25 career playoff games. Dončić also tied Dirk Nowitzki for the most 40+ point games in Mavericks playoff history with seven. Two days later, Dončić surpassed Dirk Nowitzki in 40-point playoff games with a double-double of 40 points (21 in the fourth quarter) and 11 rebounds in a 109–100 Game 3 loss. According to Elias Sports Bureau, he led Dallas in points, rebounds, and assists ten times during the playoffs – the most ever in a single postseason. On May 24, Dončić was selected to his third All-NBA First Team, becoming the third player since the merger to do so in their first four years, joining Tim Duncan and Larry Bird.

Career high in scoring and missing playoffs (2022–2023)
On October 22, 2022, Dončić recorded 32 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists in a 137–96 victory against the Memphis Grizzlies. In the game, he became the fourth player since the merger to record 7,000 career points in less than 270 games, joining Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal, and LeBron James. On October 27, Dončić recorded a triple-double with 41 points, 11 rebounds, and 14 assists in a 129–125 overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets. The game marked his 22nd career 30-point triple-double, passing Wilt Chamberlain for fifth-most in NBA history. On October 30, he scored a game-high 44 points in a 114–105 win over the Orlando Magic, becoming the first player in NBA history to record 200+ points, 50+ rebounds, and 50+ assists through the first six games of a season. Dončić also became the sixth player in NBA history to score at least 30 points in each of the first six games of a season and the first to do so since Michael Jordan in the 1986–87 season. On November 2, in a 103–100 victory against the Utah Jazz, Dončić scored 33 points and became the first player since Wilt Chamberlain in 1962–63 to score at least 30 points in each of the first seven games of a season. In the next game, Dončić recorded 35 points, eight rebounds, six assists, and three steals in a 111–110 win over the Toronto Raptors. He became the only other NBA player to score 30 or more points in the first eight games of a season beside Wilt Chamberlain, who did it in the first eight of the 1959–60 season and the first 23 of the 1962–63 season.

On November 18, Dončić recorded his 50th career triple-double with 33 points, 12 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 127–99 victory over the Denver Nuggets. In doing so, Dončić became the second-fastest player to record 50 triple-doubles, needing 278 career games, only trailing Oscar Robertson (111) and one fewer game than Magic Johnson (279). On November 23, Dončić scored a game-high 42 points along with 8 rebounds and 9 assists in a 125–112 loss against the Boston Celtics. He became the second-fastest player in NBA history (in terms of games played) to reach 7,500-plus points, 2,000-plus rebounds, and 2,000-plus assists, trailing only Oscar Robertson, who accomplished the feat in 254 games compared to the Dončić's 280 outings. On November 29, Dončić recorded his 51st career triple-double with 41 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists in a 116–113 win over the reigning champions Golden State Warriors. It was the fifth 40-point triple-double of his career, ranking behind only Oscar Robertson  (22), James Harden (16), Russell Westbrook (13), Wilt Chamberlain (7), and Lebron James (6) in NBA history. Dončić also tied Dirk Nowitzki for the second-most 40-point outings in Mavericks history (20), trailing only Mark Aguirre (22).

On December 23, Dončić put up 50 points, eight rebounds, and 10 assists in a 112–106 win over the Houston Rockets. He joined Dirk Nowitzki as the only player to record multiple 50-point games in Mavericks history. On December 27, Dončić set a career-high in points (60) and rebounds (21) and became the first player in NBA history to record a 60-point, 20-rebound triple-double in a 126–121 victory over the New York Knicks and the first player since James Harden to record a 60-point triple-double, the second in NBA history. Dončić also became just the third player in NBA history to record a 50-point, 20-rebound triple-double, joining Elgin Baylor and Chamberlain. His 60 points were also the most scored in Mavericks history, previously held by Nowitzki (53), and surpassed Nowitzki for the most 50-point games in Mavericks history. On December 31, Dončić recorded 51 points, six rebounds, nine assists and four steals in a 126–125 win over the San Antonio Spurs. He became the first player in NBA history to record 250+ points, 50+ rebounds, and 50+ assists over a five-game span. Dončić also surpassed Mark Aguirre for the most 40-point games in Mavericks history with 23.

On January 3, 2023, Dončić was awarded the Western Conference Player of the Month award for his play during the month of December, the third of his career. On January 12, Dončić recorded his 10th triple-double of the season with 35 points, 14 rebounds and 13 assists playing a career-high 53 minutes in a 119–115 double overtime win over the Los Angeles Lakers. He hit tying 3-pointers in the final seconds of regulation and the first overtime. On January 26, Dončić was named a Western Conference starter for the 2023 NBA All-Star Game, marking his fourth consecutive selection. On January 30, Dončić scored 53 points on 17-of-24 shooting from the field in a 111–105 win over the Detroit Pistons, marking his fifth career 50-point game. He tied LeBron James for the second-most 50-point games in a player's first five seasons in the NBA with five, trailing Michael Jordan's record of 17 since the ABA–NBA merger. On March 2, Dončić had 42 points and 12 assists in a 133–126 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. In the same game his teammate Kyrie Irving scored 40 points and it was the first time in Dallas franchise history that two players scored 40 points in the same game. On March 22, Dončić put up 30 points, seven rebounds and a season-high 17 assists in a 127–125 loss to the reigning champions Golden State Warriors. It was his 41st 30-point game of the season, surpassing Mark Aguirre's previous record for the most 30-point games in a season in Mavericks history. On May 10, he was selected to his fourth consecutive All-NBA First Team.

2023–24 season
On October 25, 2023, Dončić put up a triple-double with 33 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 126–119 win over the San Antonio Spurs. He also became the first player in Mavericks history to put up a 30-point triple-double in a season-opening game.

National team career

Junior national team
Dončić was set to play at the Division B tournament of the 2014 FIBA Europe Under-16 Championship but was forced to withdraw from the tournament with a knee injury. In December 2014, he participated in a friendly tournament in Székesfehérvár, Hungary, averaging 35.3 points and 7.6 rebounds per game while shooting 81 percent on two-pointers and 57 percent on three-pointers.

Senior national team

EuroBasket 2017
On September 22, 2016, Dončić announced that he would represent the senior men's Slovenian national team for the rest of his career. He was previously linked with several other national teams, including Serbia and Spain. His national team roommate became Goran Dragić, whom he met at age seven and has been cited as his mentor and friend.

Dončić was a Slovenian squad member for EuroBasket 2017, where his country won its first gold medal after going undefeated (9–0) in the tournament. In Slovenia's 103–97 win over Latvia in the quarter-finals, he scored 27 points and grabbed 9 rebounds. He recorded 11 points, 12 rebounds, and 8 assists, in the 92–72 semi-final win over Spain. In the final, Slovenia won by a score of 93–85 over Serbia. He had 8 points and 7 rebounds, before falling out of the game, due to an injury, in the game's third quarter. Dončić was also named to the competition's All-Tournament Team, joining teammate Goran Dragić, who was voted the EuroBasket MVP.

2020 Summer Olympics
During the 2020 FIBA Men's Olympic Qualifying Tournament in Kaunas, Lithuania, Dončic led Slovenia to its first-ever Olympic berth.  Dončić won MVP of the tournament by leading Slovenia to a 96–85 victory over Lithuania while recording 31 points, 11 rebounds, and 13 assists in the final round.

In his Olympic debut on July 26, 2021, Dončić scored 48 points in a 118–100 victory over Argentina. His 48-point performance tied for the second-highest men's point total in a single game in Summer Olympics history and marked the most in a men's basketball debut. In the semi-final match-up versus France, Dončić posted the third triple-double in Olympic men's basketball history with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 18 assists in a 90–89 loss. Also, it ended his 17-match winning streak from the senior national team debut back in 2017. Slovenia ended up losing the bronze medal match versus Australia 107–93. For his play during the tournament, Dončić was selected to the FIBA All-Star Five team, joining Patty Mills, Ricky Rubio, Kevin Durant, and Rudy Gobert as the five best players at the Games.

EuroBasket 2022
During the tournament's group stage, Dončić scored 47 points as he led Slovenia to the Round of 16 with a 88–82 victory over France, claiming the top spot in Group B. His 47-point performance was the second-highest scoring total in EuroBasket history. It was the most points scored by any player in EuroBasket history in the last 65 years. On September 10, he scored 35 points while beating Belgium 88–72 to advance to the quarter-finals. The game marked his third consecutive game scoring 30+ points, becoming the first player in tournament history in 30 years to do so. Slovenia was eventually upset by Poland 90–87 in the quarter-finals.

2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup
During the 2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup Dončić joined the exclusive 200-point club. He became one of only 11 players to do so in a single World Cup campaign, as he led all scorers with 27.0 points to go along with 7.1 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 2.5 steals per game. Slovenia finished the tournament at seventh place beating Italy 89–85 with Dončić leading both sides in points, rebounds and asissts. In recognition of his individual play, Dončić was named to the World Cup All-Tournament Team.

Player profile

Dončić has frequently been described as a "position-less guard" with attributes of a point guard, shooting guard, and small forward. Standing  and weighing , he has been praised for his exceptional size and strength for the guard position. Dallas Mavericks executive Donnie Nelson lauded his "point forward ability" and sports website The Ringer labeled him a "legitimate point guard with the size of a small-ball power forward."

Since his early years with Real Madrid, Dončić was tabbed as one of Europe's premier talents, with Spanish newspaper Marca giving him the nickname "El Niño Maravilla" (The Wonder Boy). Entering the 2018 NBA draft, he was widely seen as one of the best and most accomplished European prospects of his generation. Slam magazine considered Dončić the "best international prospect ever," and sports website SB Nation called him "most accomplished NBA prospect in decades." An anonymous NBA veteran scouting executive said that his game was "leap years above anyone" in his draft class.

Dončić is versatile on the offensive end, displaying proficiency in shooting three-pointers, mid-range jump shots, floaters, and shots in the post. His basketball IQ, intangibles, and skills have been considered his primary assets, and he is seen as an elite facilitator, especially on the pick and roll. NBA and EuroLeague coach Ettore Messina called him "phenomenal, especially mentally" for his age. His lack of lateral quickness to stay in front of most NBA point guards and wings has been labeled one of his main flaws. Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle refuted some of the worries regarding Dončić's athleticism, stating that "for a 19-year-old, he's got a really unusual combination of size, speed, and deceptive quickness." By his second year, Dončić's ability to accelerate off a pick and blow by defenders to get to the basket is seen as one of his strengths. Given the false characterisation of his abilities and his subsequent success in the NBA, some speculate that prejudiced stereotyping might have had a role in his negative pre-draft evaluation.

Before his draft, basketball journalist and scout Austin Green compared Dončić to NBA players Paul Pierce and Joe Johnson. Dončić compared himself to Ben Simmons due to his versatility. In his second season, LA Clippers coach Doc Rivers, when asked about Dončić, stated that "there's a lot of people in him." He likened Dončić's stepback 3-pointers to James Harden, his passing ability to Larry Bird, and his court vision to LeBron James. NBA analyst, Kendrick Perkins, called him "baby LeBron" due to his overall skill and dominance on the court.

In December 2019, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called Dončić's playing style "Magic Johnson-like" because "he sees the floor in that same way." In August 2020, head coach Rick Carlisle compared Dončić's playmaking and court vision to Larry Bird and Jason Kidd. Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo called Dončić "one of the most talented guys I've ever played against." During his first career playoff game versus the LA Clippers, TV analyst and former point guard Mark Jackson, reiterated his view of Dončić, calling him "an absolute combination of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird."

Career statistics

NBA

Regular season

|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas
| 72 || 72 || 32.2 || .427 || .327 || .713 || 7.8 || 6.0 || 1.1 || .3 || 21.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas
| 61 || 61 || 33.6 || .463 || .316 || .758 || 9.4 || 8.8 || 1.0 || .2 || 28.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas
| 66 || 66 || 34.3 || .479 || .350 || .730 || 8.0 || 8.6 || 1.0 || .5 || 27.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas
| 65 || 65 || 35.4 || .457 || .353 || .744 || 9.1 || 8.7 || 1.2 || .6 || 28.4
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas
| 66 || 66 || 36.2 || .496 || .342 || .742 || 8.6 || 8.0 || 1.4 || .5 || 32.4
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| Career
| 330 || 330 || 34.3 || .466 || .338 || .739 || 8.6 || 8.0 || 1.1 || .4 || 27.6
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"| All-Star
| 4 || 3 || 23.2 || .458 || .333 || – || 1.5 || 5.0 || .3 || .0 || 7.0

Playoffs

|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas
| 6 || 6 || 35.8 || .500 || .364 || .656 || 9.8 || 8.7 || 1.2 || .5 || 31.0
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"|Dallas
| 7 || 7 || 40.1 || .490 || .408 || .529 || 7.9 || 10.3 || 1.3 || .4 || 35.7
|-
| style="text-align:left;"|
| style="text-align:left;"| Dallas
| 15 || 15 || 36.8 || .455 || .345 || .770 || 9.8 || 6.4 || 1.8 || .6 || 31.7
|- class="sortbottom"
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="2"|Career
| 28 || 28 || 37.4 || .473 || .366 || .692 || 9.3 || 7.9 || 1.5 || .5 || 32.5

EuroLeague

|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2015–16
| style="text-align:left;"| Real Madrid
| 12 || 0 || 11.1 || .407 || .313 || .882 || 2.3 || 2.0 || .2 || .3 || 3.5 || 6.2
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17
| style="text-align:left;"| Real Madrid
| 35 || 15 || 19.9 || .433 || .371 || .844 || 4.5 || 4.2 || .9 || .2 || 7.8 || 13.3
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;"| 2017–18
| style="text-align:left;"| Real Madrid
| 33 || 17 || 25.9 || .451 || .329 || .816 || 4.8 || 4.3 || 1.1 || .3 || 16.0 || style="background:#cfecec;"|21.5
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan=2 style="text-align:center;"| Career
| 80 || 32 || 21.0 || .443 || .344 || .828 || 4.3 || 3.9 || .9 || .3 || 10.6 || 15.6

Liga ACB
Cited from ACB.com

|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;"| 2014–15
| style="text-align:left;"| Real Madrid
| 5 || 0 || 4.8 || .427 || .333 || .750 || 1.2 || .0 || .0 || .0 || 1.6 || 1.8
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;"| 2015–16
| style="text-align:left;"| Real Madrid
| 39 || 0 || 12.9 || .526 || .392 || .708 || 2.6 || 1.7 || .4 || .3 || 4.5 || 5.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2016–17
| style="text-align:left;"| Real Madrid
| 42 || 11 || 19.8 || .441 || .295 || .785 || 4.4 || 3.0 || .6 || .3 || 7.5 || 11.9
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:#AFE6BA;"| 2017–18
| style="text-align:left;"| Real Madrid
| 37 || 21 || 24.3 || .462 || .293 || .752 || 5.7 || 4.7 || 1.1 || .4 || 12.5 || 18.4
|- class="sortbottom"
| colspan=2 style="text-align:center;"| Career
| 123 || 32 || 18.3 || .463 || .310 || .754 || 4.1 || 3.0 || .7 || .3 || 7.8 || 11.6

Slovenia

|-
! colspan=14 | FIBA Basketball World Cup
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2023
| style="text-align:left;"| Slovenia
| 8 || 8 || 32.2 || .427 || .324 || .772 || 7.1 || 6.1 || 2.5 || .4 || 27.0 || 26.0
|-
! colspan=14 | EuroBasket
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2022
| style="text-align:left;"| Slovenia
| 7 || 7 || 33.2 || .496 || .322 || .702 || 7.7 || 6.6 || 2.0 || .6 || 26.0 || 27.1
|-
! colspan=14 | Olympics
|-
| style="text-align:left;"| 2020 || style="text-align:left;"|  Slovenia || 6 || 6 || 32.7 || .449 || .304 || .714 || 9.7 || 9.5 || 1.2 || 1.0 || 23.8 || 29.2
|-
! colspan=14 | EuroBasket
|-
| style="text-align:left;background:gold;"| 2017
| style="text-align:left;"| Slovenia
| 9 || 9 || 29.1 || .406 || .311 || .848 || 8.1 || 3.6 || .9 || .3 || 14.3 || 18.7
|-
|}

NBA achievements

Regular season
First teenager to record four career triple-doubles in NBA history.
Broke Jason Kidd's Mavericks franchise record (21) of most triple-doubles with 22 in just 122 NBA games.
Most triple-doubles in a season (17) before turning 22 years old (2019–20 season). Previously held by Ben Simmons (12 in 201718).
Youngest player in NBA history to lead the league outright in triple-doubles (21 years, 168 days old). Previously held by Magic Johnson.
Twenty straight games with at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists, the most since the 1976–77 ABANBA merger. Previously held by Michael Jordan with 18 consecutive games.
First player since Tim Duncan to be selected to All-NBA First Team in a player's first or second season.
First player to lead his team outright in points, rebounds and assists in each of first three games of season.
Second-fewest games played to record 35 career triple-doubles (190). Previously held by Magic Johnson (204).
Third-fewest games played to reach 4,000 career points since the ABANBA merger (Michael Jordan, Shaquille O'Neal).
First player in NBA history to record:
 a 60-point, 20 rebound triple-double (60 points, 21 rebounds, 10 assists).
 250 points, 50 rebounds, and 50 assists in a five game span.
 a 30-point triple-double (35 points, 12 rebounds, 10 assists) as a teenager.
 two triple-doubles before the age of 20.
 a 35-point triple-double in a game with 26 minutes or fewer played (35 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in 25:30).
 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 15+ assists in a game with 30 minutes or fewer played (31 points, 12 rebounds, and 15 assists in 30:05).
 36+ points, 14+ rebounds, and 19+ assists in a game (regular season or playoffs).
 multiple 30-point triple-doubles in games with 30 minutes or fewer played.
multiple 40-point triple-doubles before turning 21 years old.
over 20 career triple-doubles at age 21 or younger.
ten career 35-point triple-doubles before turning 22 years old.
200+ points, 50+ rebounds, and 50+ assists through the first six games of a season.
Second player in NBA history to:
average 21+ points, 7+ rebounds, and 6+ assists per game in a rookie season (Oscar Robertson).
average 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists per game multiple seasons (Oscar Robertson).
record 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in 50 of their first 100 career games (Oscar Robertson).
record 2,000+ points, 750+ rebounds, and 500+ assists in their first 100 career games (Oscar Robertson).
record 3,000+ points, 1,100+ rebounds, and 950+ assists in the first two seasons of their career (Oscar Robertson).
record 4,000+ points and 1,000+ assists before turning 22 years old (LeBron James).
record at least 35 points and 19 assists in a triple-double (Oscar Robertson).
record 10+ 30-point triple-doubles in the first two seasons of their career (Oscar Robertson).
record a 30+ point, 20+ rebound triple-double, and a 30+ point, 20+ assist triple-double (Oscar Robertson).
record 25 career triple-doubles in the first two seasons of their career (Oscar Robertson).
score 30 or more points in the first eight games of a season (Wilt Chamberlain).
Third player in NBA history to:
average at least 28 points, 9 rebounds, and 8 assists in a season (Oscar Robertson, Russell Westbrook).
record at least 12 30-point triple-doubles in a season (Oscar Robertson, Russell Westbrook).
record 30+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 19+ assists in multiple games (Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson).
record multiple 30-point triple-doubles through first three games of a season (Oscar Robertson, Russell Westbrook).
record 40 triple-doubles in their first four seasons (Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson).
Fourth player in NBA history to record:
at least 35 points and 19 assists in a game (Oscar Robertson, Tiny Archibald, Kevin Johnson).
34+ points, 20+ rebounds, and 12+ assists in a game (Elgin Baylor, Wilt Chamberlain, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar).
30+ points, 10+ rebounds, and 20+ assists in a game (Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, Russell Westbrook).
35+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 15+ assists in a game (Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, James Harden).
25+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 15+ assists in multiple games (Oscar Robertson, Wilt Chamberlain, Larry Bird).
at least 27 points, 7 rebounds, and 8 assists per game in multiple seasons (Oscar Robertson, LeBron James, Russell Westbrook).
Fifth player in NBA history to average:
at least 20 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists in a rookie season (Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Tyreke Evans).
a 30-point triple-double in a ten-game span (Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James).
Youngest player in NBA history to record:
three triple-doubles.
20 points, 15 rebounds, and 15 assists in a game.
30 points, 10 rebounds, and 20 assists in a game (22 years, 62 days old).
30 points, 20 rebounds, and 10 assists in a game (21 years, 158 days old).
35 points, 10 rebounds, and 15 assists in a game (21 years, 162 days old). Previously held by Michael Jordan.
35-point triple-doubles in succession, breaking Oscar Robertson's record.

Playoffs
 NBA record 42 points in an NBA playoff debut.
First player in NBA history to record:
43+ points, 17+ rebounds, and 13+ assists in a playoff game.
three triple-doubles in their first seven career playoff games.
multiple 30-point triple-doubles at the age of 22 or younger.
250+ points, 70+ rebounds, and 70+ assists through their first eight career playoff games.
Second player in NBA history to record:
70 total points in their first two career playoff games (George Mikan, 75 points in 1949).
two triple-doubles in their first four career playoff games (Magic Johnson).
40+ points, and 14+ assists in a playoff game (LeBron James).
Third player in NBA history to record:
40+ points, 15+ rebounds, and 10+ assists in a playoff game (Oscar Robertson, Charles Barkley).
300+ points through their first nine career playoff games (Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Michael Jordan).
 900+ points through their first 28 career playoff games (Michael Jordan, Wilt Chamberlain).
Fifth player in NBA history to:
have 40+ points and hit a buzzer-beater in a playoff game (Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard).
average at least 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 8 assists in a playoff series (Oscar Robertson, Michael Jordan, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James).
record 44+ points, 9+ rebounds, and 9+ assists in a playoff game (Magic Johnson, Michael Jordan, Russell Westbrook, LeBron James).
 Youngest player in NBA history to:
hit a playoff buzzer-beater at 21 years and 177 days old.
record a 40-point triple-double in a playoff game.

Personal life
Dončić can speak four languages: Slovenian, Serbian, English, and Spanish. He learned Spanish after joining Real Madrid.

In 2017, while playing at Real Madrid, Dončić signed a two-year deal with Nike. In December 2019, it was announced that Dončić had signed a multi-year endorsement deal with Air Jordan. On July 14, 2021, it was announced that Dončić would be the cover athlete for NBA 2K22, the 23rd installment in the NBA 2K video game series.

His 2018–19 Panini National Treasures basketball card sold for $4.6 million dollars in 2021.

In July 2023, he got engaged with his longtime girlfriend Anamaria Goltes.

See also
 List of National Basketball Association career triple-double leaders
 List of National Basketball Association career playoff triple-double leaders
 List of National Basketball Association single-game scoring leaders
 List of National Basketball Association single-season scoring leaders
 List of youngest EuroLeague players
 List of European basketball players in the United States

Notes

References

External links

Luka Dončić at acb.com

Luka Dončić at euroleague.net

Luka Dončić at realmadrid.com

1999 births
Living people
Atlanta Hawks draft picks
Basketball players at the 2020 Summer Olympics
Dallas Mavericks players
FIBA EuroBasket-winning players
Liga ACB players
National Basketball Association All-Stars
National Basketball Association players from Slovenia
Olympic basketball players for Slovenia
Point guards
Real Madrid Baloncesto players
Shooting guards
Slovenian expatriate basketball people in Spain
Slovenian expatriate basketball people in the United States
Slovenian men's basketball players
Slovenian people of Serbian descent
Small forwards
Basketball players from Ljubljana
2023 FIBA Basketball World Cup players

Luka Dončić


Mutual recognition occurs when two or more countries or other institutions recognize one another's decisions or policies, for example in the field of conformity assessment, professional qualifications or in relation to criminal matters.
A mutual recognition agreement (MRA) is an international agreement by which two or more countries agree to recognize one another's conformity assessments, decisions or results (for example certifications or test results). A mutual recognition arrangement is an international arrangement based on such an agreement.

Countries involved in the agreement can designate for the scope of the agreement Conformity Assessment Bodies (CAB), laboratories and inspection bodies.

MRAs have become increasingly common since the formation of the World Trade Organization in 1995. They have been forged within and among various trade blocs, including APEC and the European Union.

MRAs are most commonly applied to goods, such as various quality control MRAs. However, the term is also applied to agreements on the recognition of professional qualifications and decisions relating to criminal matters.

Accreditation Bodies, under the International Accreditation Forum, use the term Multilateral Recognition Agreements in a similar sense.

The principle of mutual recognition in European Criminal Law
Mutual recognition is a cornerstone principle in the Area of freedom, security and justice (AFSJ) in the European Union (EU). The importance of mutual recognition as a key principle for promoting cooperation, coordination and trust among EU Member States within the AFSJ has been firstly recognized in the Tampere Conclusions, adopted by the European Council in October 1999.

In the AFSJ, the principle of mutual recognition entails that a decision of one Member State is recognized by and obtains legal force in another Member State based on a presumption of mutual trust. Member States trust the fact that within the Union all Member States comply with EU law and particularly with the fundamental rights recognised by EU law. The importance of the principles of mutual recognition and mutual trust was highlighted by the European Court of Justice in its Opinion 2/13. In this Opinion, the Court specified that the presumption of mutual trust prevents a Member State from checking if another Member State comply with fundamental rights guaranteed by EU law, unless exceptional circumstances arise.

Mutual recognition can represent an alternative to harmonisation in order to achieve the goal of European Integration in the AFSJ. Many European criminal law instruments, such as the European Arrest Warrant, have been adopted on the basis of the principle of mutual recognition. However, as stated in Article 82(2) TFEU, the EU legislator can also opt for the adoption of minimum harmonised rules 'to the extent necessary to facilitate mutual recognition of judgments and judicial decisions and police and judicial cooperation in criminal matters having a cross-border dimension'. On that note, a package of directives (the so called 'ABC Directives'), which included for instance the Directive on the right to have access to a lawyer in criminal proceedings, has been adopted using the legal basis of Art. 82(2) TFEU. The aim was twofold:  guaranteeing an effective minimum standard of protection of fundamental procedural rights and enhancing mutual trust between Member States thus facilitating mutual recognition.

See also
 Testing, inspection and certification
 Harmonisation of law
 Home state regulation

References

External links
 Managed Mutual Recognition Regimes: Governance Without Global Government by Kalypso Nicolaïdis and Gregory Shaffer
TACD Background Paper on MRAs
National Institute of Standards and Technology on its MRAs
Public Citizen description of MRAs

Commercial treaties
Quality control
Globalization

Mutual recognition


Jonon Karimovna Bobokalonova (sometimes Bobokalanova) () (September 13, 1929 – June 17, 2005) was a Tajikistani writer, literary critic, and academic of the Soviet era. Her name is sometimes given as Jonon Karim.

Biography
Bobokalonova was born into a working-class family in the village of Pulodon in Konibodom. She graduated from the Dushanbe Pedagogical Institute in 1949. That same year she took a post at the Sadriddin Ayni High School in the same city, teaching the Tajik language and literature; at the same time she became head of one of the departments of the children's magazine Piyanir. She continued her studies at the pedagogical institute, performing postgraduate research there from 1950 until 1951. In 1954, she returned once more to the Institute to teach Tajik literature, with an emphasis on works for children, at the Department of Tajik Literature. In 1958, she became a member of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union. In the same year, she defended her thesis, on the children's works of Mirsaid Mirshakar at the Faculty of Eastern Studies at the Leningrad Academy of Arts, marking the first time such a scholarly work had been written on Tajik children's literature.

Later, she became chair of Tajik literature at the Pedagogical Institute. She received a doctorate in philology in 1983, being named a professor two years later. Bobokalonova was among the first literary critics to concern herself with Tajikistani literature for children; during her career, she also developed an interest in the work of other children's writers from various Soviet republics. Later in her career, she also began to write on the subject of women's history. She became a member of the Union of Writers in Tajikistan in 1991, and a member of the Union of Journalists of Tajikistan in 1995. She received a number of medals and awards during her career, including being named a Prominent Scientific Figure of the Republic of Tajikistan in 1994.

Selected works
Taken from
Some Considerations Regarding Literature for Tajik Children (1954)
Miroz Mirshakar's Post-War Stories for Children (1956)
Anthology of Soviet Children's Liteerature (Dushanbe, 1971)
Materials Pertaining to Literature for Tajik Children (Dushanbe, 1975)
Mirashkar: A Children's Poet (1976)
Tajik Children's Literature (Dushanbe, 1982)
The Great Life Expositionist (Dushanbe, 1985)
The Hero and Time (Dushanbe, 1991)
From the Peak of the Glorious Mountain (Dushanbe, 1992)
The Sun on Top of the Mountain (Dushanbe, 1998)
The Role of Women in the King's Letters (Dushanbe, 1998)
The Wings of Art (Dushanbe, 1999)
Zan va Zamon (Dushanbe, 2000)
The Role of Women in Farsi-Tajik Literature (five volumes)
Great Man of Art
A Look at the History of Literary Criticism of Farsi-Tajik Literature
Good Deeds Will Remain Forever (selected writings)
various poems and stories for children

She also participated as an editor in the publication of the five-volume Collection of Children's Literature, published in Dushanbe between 1979 and 1984, and assisted in the compilation of a textbook on children's literature.

References

1929 births
2005 deaths
Tajikistani literary critics
Women literary critics
Tajikistani women writers
People from Konibodom
Tajikistani children's writers
Tajikistani women children's writers
Communist Party of the Soviet Union members
20th-century Tajikistani writers
20th-century Tajikistani women writers
21st-century Tajikistani writers
21st-century Tajikistani women writers

Jonon Bobokalonova


Philip Edward Wilson (2 October 1950 – 17 January 2021) was an Australian Roman Catholic prelate who was the eighth Archbishop of Adelaide from 2001 to 2018. He was President of the Australian Catholic Bishops' Conference from 2006 to 2010. From 1996 to 2001 Wilson was bishop of the Diocese of Wollongong, where he gained a reputation as a "healing bishop" for handling child-abuse scandals.

In 2018 Wilson was at first convicted, but then acquitted on appeal, of failing to report in 2004 allegations of child sexual abuse against another priest when he was an assistant parish priest in East Maitland, New South Wales in 1976. After the conviction but before the acquittal, he resigned as archbishop and commenced serving his sentence under home detention.
In September 2019 the fourth previously unreleased volume of the 2014 Special Commission of Enquiry into allegations of cover-up of sexual abuse claims in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle commissioned by Margaret Cuneen SC found that Archbishop Wilson was an "unsatisfactory and unimpressive witness" and that he gave evidence the commissioners considered to be "untruthful", "self serving and implausable".

Early life
Wilson was born in Cessnock, New South Wales, to Joan and John Wilson. He was the eldest of five children and received his primary and secondary education at St Patrick's Primary School in Cessnock and St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill. By his mid-teens, Wilson had decided to enter the priesthood, and on his completion of high school, at the age of 18, he entered St Patrick's Seminary, Manly. In 1974, he received a Bachelor of Theology degree from the Catholic Institute of Sydney.

Priesthood
Following his ordination in 1975, Wilson's first posting was to the parish of East Maitland, New South Wales, where he served as an assistant priest. In 1977–78 he undertook studies in religious education in New York City. In 1978, he returned to Australia where he was appointed Director of Religious Education in the Diocese of Maitland (now the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle). After being appointed parish priest of Maitland in 1983, he was promoted to vicar general, Diocesan Management and Administration in 1987. From 1990 to 1995, Wilson studied canon law at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., where he received a Licentiate of Canon Law, and was made a Prelate of Honour by Pope John Paul II.

Bishop of Wollongong
In 1996, Wilson was appointed to replace Bishop William Murray as Bishop of Wollongong, and on 10 July he was consecrated by Cardinal Edward Clancy. Aged 45, Wilson became the youngest Catholic bishop in Australia.

During his time as Bishop of Wollongong, Wilson was tasked with dealing with an alleged culture of inadequate responses to child abuse by clergy within the diocese. Wilson's predecessor, Bishop Murray, had been criticised during public hearings of the Wood Royal Commission for not acting on allegations of sexual misconduct within the diocese and had admitted publicly that he did not know how to deal with them. Upon the delivery of the findings of the Wood Commission, Wilson issued a formal apology to the victims of abuse by clergy within the diocese.

Archbishop of Adelaide
In November 2000, Pope John Paul II appointed Wilson to the position of coadjutor archbishop of the Archdiocese of Adelaide, in anticipation of the retirement of Leonard Faulkner, who was Archbishop of Adelaide at the time. Aged only 50, Wilson's appointment made him the youngest Catholic archbishop in Australia. The announcement of Wilson's promotion brought praise from public figures in Wollongong, with the Lord Mayor saying he had "...played a leading role in restoring the credibility of the Catholic Church here." Archbishop Faulkner described him as "a very pastoral man and a man of the people and very gifted academically".

Wilson's welcome Mass, held at Adelaide's St Francis Xavier's Cathedral on 1 February 2001, was the first Mass in Australia to be broadcast on the internet, recording a reported 40,000 views. Wilson spent most of 2001 learning about the archdiocese while acting as coadjutor, and was installed at a Mass on 3 December, which was attended by about 35 bishops, more than 200 priests and the Governor of South Australia, Marjorie Jackson-Nelson. He celebrated Mass for the first time at St Francis Xavier's Cathedral on 9 December 2001.

In 2002, Wilson became the first Australian archbishop to be invited to address a session of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops. The session was held in the wake of an emergency meeting between American bishops and Pope John Paul II regarding the sex-abuse crisis within the Church. Wilson was selected to address the conference because of his experience dealing with clerical crimes while bishop of Wollongong.

In 2018, Wilson was charged, convicted and later acquitted on appeal of concealing child sex abuse. He was alleged to have been told in 1976 by a victim who had been sexually abused four years earlier. While awaiting sentencing, Wilson stepped aside from his duties as archbishop in late May 2018. On 3 June 2018, Wilson's duties were assumed by Gregory O'Kelly, Bishop of Port Pirie, South Australia.

Wilson submitted his resignation to Pope Francis on 20 July, following conviction for failure to report child sexual abuse. Its acceptance was announced on 30 July 2018. His conviction was overturned by the District Court of New South Wales in December 2018.

Alleged failure to report child sexual abuse

In May 2010, Wilson came under scrutiny for his handling of charges of clerical sexual abuse in two cases in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle.

The first case originated in 1985, when Father Dennis McAlinden, a priest in that diocese, was alleged to have sexually assaulted two girls. Wilson, the diocese's vicar general at the time, was sent to speak to parents at the school where the assault was alleged to have taken place. The principal told the media that Wilson responded by removing McAlinden from his position and providing help for him. The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) reported that "McAlinden was ... transferred to a remote parish in the Pilbara region of Western Australia. Over the next decade he sexually assaulted five more girls under the age of 10". Ten years later, in 1995, Bishop Leo Clarke (1923–2006) asked Wilson to take statements from McAlinden's alleged victims. Wilson took the statements and returned them to the bishop. The ABC reported that the statements were never provided to police and that Clarke defrocked McAlinden with the promise "that his 'good name' would be protected". In a statement to ABC in 2010, Wilson said he told Clarke in 1985 that McAlinden should be confronted and, that as far as he was aware, this had occurred. He denied involvement in McAlinden's transfer to Western Australia or his defrocking.

The second allegations were made in mid-May 2010 by a victim of convicted child sex offender James Fletcher, who had also been a priest in the Maitland-Newcastle diocese. According to the ABC, "[The victim said] Archbishop Philip Wilson was a priest living in the bishop's house in Maitland when Fletcher was also living there in the late 1970s, and that Philip Wilson should have been aware that he was being sexually abused in Fletcher's upstairs bedroom." Wilson denied having any knowledge of the assault and said he had not been living in the house at the time, but in a flat behind the residence. The details of the charge were that Wilson should have remembered the 1976 disclosure to him, and reported it in 2004 when Fletcher was charged with other child sex abuse crimes.

Trial and conviction
In March 2015, NSW Police issued Wilson with a future court attendance notice. He faced a charge of "concealing a serious offence regarding child sexual abuse in the Hunter region" in 1976. Wilson immediately took indefinite leave and issued a statement saying he would "vigorously defend my innocence through the judicial system". Wilson returned to work at the beginning of 2016. His attorneys made several requests to have the court proceedings quashed or permanently stayed, including that Wilson had Alzheimer's disease and should not be tried on medical grounds. These were refused by a magistrate in February 2016, and the appeal was rejected by Justice Monika Schmidt in the Supreme Court of New South Wales on 14 October 2016, clearing the way for the trial to be heard. One of the alleged victims of abuse asked for the non-publication order on his name to be lifted, and spoke of having told Wilson of the abuse in 1981 when he was 15, five years after it occurred.

On 22 May 2018 the Newcastle Local Court found Wilson guilty of the charge of failing to report allegations of child sexual abuse by Fletcher in 1976. Wilson remained on bail pending his sentencing. The prosecution requested a custodial sentence for Wilson, for reasons of "deterrence" and "denunciation". The maximum penalty was two years' imprisonment, which could be suspended. After calls to resign as archbishop, the day after his conviction Wilson announced he was stepping aside from his duties, after putting in place administrative arrangements to manage the affairs of the archdiocese. Sentencing arguments were heard by the magistrate on 19 June 2018, with a decision reserved until 3 July 2018. The prosecution submitted documents that stated that 16 per cent of those convicted of concealing a serious indictable offence receive a full custodial sentence. Wilson's lawyers argued that Wilson could be the target of violence in prison, and sought a recorded conviction and good-behaviour bond. On 3 July 2018, Wilson was sentenced to 12 months' detention, eligible for parole after 6 months. The matter was adjourned until 14 August while a home detention order was assessed, whereby he would serve the sentence at a family member's home in New South Wales. Following his sentencing, Wilson appealed, and said he would not resign from his position until all legal avenues open to him were exhausted. On 19 July, Australian Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said he wanted "the ultimate authority in the church to take action and sack him".

Resignation
There were many calls for his resignation, but Wilson had said that he would not step aside until his legal options were exhausted. Pope Francis accepted Wilson's resignation on 30 July 2018 while his appeal against conviction remained in progress. As an archbishop, Wilson became the most senior Catholic cleric convicted of not disclosing abuse by another priest to police; earlier cases involved bishops Pierre Pican in France and Robert Finn in the U.S.

Sentence
On 14 August 2018, Magistrate Robert Stone determined that Wilson was not a threat and ordered him to serve home detention for the remainder of his one-year sentence. Wilson did not apply for bail following the ruling and immediately began serving his sentence. He would have been eligible for parole on 13 February 2019.

Appeal and acquittal
On 6 December 2018, Wilson was acquitted of all the charges of which he had previously been found guilty. Judge Roy Ellis of the Newcastle District Court, when handing down his decision, said that suspicion was not a substitute for proof and that Wilson was an intelligent and articulate witness that did not attempt to blacken the name of his accuser in his defence. Judge Ellis determined that for a conviction, the prosecution needed to prove beyond reasonable doubt that the conversation had taken place in 1976, that Wilson had believed it at the time, and remembered it in 2004. The District Court gave more weight to a written statement by another priest (Glen Walsh) who stated that in 2004 he had sought advice from Wilson about how to respond to being directed by the bishop at that time to hide another allegation against Fletcher. Ellis found it inconceivable that Wilson would advise Walsh to go to the authorities, if he also held information himself about another victim. The acquittal came after Wilson had already served four months of his 12 months of house arrest. Fletcher's victims expressed their extreme disappointment at Wilson's acquittal. The Director of Public Prosecutions had been reported to be considering a challenge in the Supreme Court of New South Wales but on 20 December, announced that there were no reasonable prospects of success of appeal on errors of law.
In September 2019 the fourth previously unreleased volume of the 2014 Special Commission of Enquiry into allegations of cover-up of sexual abuse claims in the Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle commissioned by Margaret Cuneen SC found that Archbishop Wilson was an "unsatisfactory and unimpressive witness" and that he gave evidence the commissioners considered to be "untruthful", "self serving and implausable".

Views
In 2017, during the Australian Marriage Law Postal Survey regarding same-sex marriage, Wilson was on the "No" side, defining marriage as being only "between a man and a woman" with "its fundamental role in raising children as part of God's divine plan for the human family".

Death
Wilson died on 17 January 2021. His health had been poor during his last years and he suffered cancer, but his death was described as "sudden".

References

1950 births
2021 deaths
21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Australia
Overturned convictions in Australia
Roman Catholic archbishops of Adelaide
People educated at St Joseph's College, Hunters Hill
Roman Catholic bishops of Wollongong
Roman Catholic Diocese of Maitland-Newcastle
People from Cessnock, New South Wales

Philip Wilson (bishop)


John Bayard Anderson (February 15, 1922 – December 3, 2017) was an American lawyer and politician who served in the United States House of Representatives, representing Illinois's 16th congressional district from 1961 to 1981. A member of the Republican Party, he also served as the Chair of the House Republican Conference from 1969 until 1979. In 1980, he ran an independent campaign for president, receiving 6.6% of the popular vote.

Born in Rockford, Illinois, Anderson practiced law after serving in the Army during World War II. After a stint in the United States Foreign Service, he won election as the State's Attorney for Winnebago County, Illinois. He won election to the House of Representatives in 1960 in a strongly Republican district. Initially one of the most conservative members of the House, Anderson's views moderated during the 1960s, particularly regarding social issues. He became chairman of the House Republican Conference in 1969 and remained in that position until 1979. He strongly criticized the Vietnam War as well as President Richard Nixon's actions during the Watergate scandal. Anderson entered the 1980 Republican presidential primaries, introducing his signature campaign proposal of raising the gas tax while cutting social security taxes.

He established himself as a contender for the nomination in the early primaries, but eventually dropped out of the Republican race, choosing to pursue an independent campaign for president. In the election, he finished third behind Republican nominee Ronald Reagan and Democratic President Jimmy Carter. He won support among Democrats who became disillusioned with Carter, as well as Rockefeller Republicans, independents, liberal intellectuals, and college students. After the election, he resumed his legal career and helped found FairVote, an organization that advocates for electoral reform, including an instant-runoff voting system. He also won a lawsuit against the state of Ohio, Anderson v. Celebrezze, in which the Supreme Court struck down early filing deadlines for independent candidates. Anderson served as a visiting professor at numerous universities and was on the boards of several organizations. He endorsed Green Party candidate Ralph Nader in 2000 and helped found the center-left Justice Party in 2012.

Early life and career

Anderson was born in Rockford, Illinois, where he grew up, the son of Mabel Edna (née Ring) and E. Albin Anderson. His father was a Swedish immigrant, as were his maternal grandparents. In his youth, he worked in his family's grocery store. He graduated as the valedictorian of his class (1939) at Rockford Central High School. He graduated from the University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign in 1942, and started law school, but his education was interrupted by World War II. He enlisted in the Army in 1943, and served as a staff sergeant in the U.S. Field Artillery in France and Germany until the end of the war, receiving four service stars. After the war, Anderson returned to complete his education, earning a Juris Doctor (J.D.) from the University of Illinois College of Law in 1946.

Anderson was admitted to the Illinois bar the same year, and practiced law in Rockford. Soon after, he moved east to attend Harvard Law School, obtaining a Master of Laws (LL.M.) in 1949. While at Harvard, he served on the faculty of Northeastern University School of Law in Boston. In another brief return to Rockford, Anderson practiced at the law firm Large, Reno & Zahm (now Reno & Zahm LLP). Thereafter, Anderson joined the Foreign Service. From 1952 to 1955, he served in Berlin, as the Economic Reporting Officer in the Eastern Affairs Division, as an adviser on the staff of the United States High Commissioner for Germany. At the end of his tour, he left the foreign service and once again returned to the practice of law in Rockford.

Early political career

Soon after his return, Anderson was approached about running for public office. In 1956, Anderson was elected State's Attorney in Winnebago County, Illinois, first winning a four-person race in the April primary by 1,330 votes and then the general election in November by 11,456 votes. After serving for one term, he was ready to leave that office when the local congressman, 28-year incumbent Leo E. Allen, announced his retirement. Anderson joined the Republican primary for Allen's 16th District seat—the real contest in this then-solidly Republican district based in Rockford and stretching across the state's northwest corner. He won a five-way primary in April (by 5,900 votes) in April and then the general election in November (by 45,000 votes). He served in the United States House of Representatives for ten terms, from 1961 to 1981.

Initially, Anderson was among the most conservative members of the Republican caucus. Three times (in 1961, 1963, and 1965) in his early terms as a Congressman, Anderson introduced a constitutional amendment to attempt to "recognize the law and authority of Jesus Christ" over the United States. The bills died quietly, but later came back to haunt Anderson in his presidential candidacy. Anderson voted in favor of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1968, as well as the 24th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

Initially supportive of Barry Goldwater's candidacy for president in 1964 and believing Goldwater to be a "honest, sincere man", Anderson realized that most of his ideas would not work on a national scale, and described Lyndon B. Johnson's victory over Goldwater in the 1964 election as a vote for moderation, believing that the Republican Party needed to go in a moderate direction. Other factors such as attending the funerals of Andrew Goodman, Michael Schwerner and James Chaney, as well as the street riots happening in America at that point, led to Anderson shift from the right to the left on social issues, although his fiscal positions remained conservative. The riots led Anderson to vote in favor of the Housing and Urban Development Act of 1968.

In 1964, he won appointment to a seat on the powerful Rules Committee. In 1969, he became Chairman of the House Republican Conference, the number three position in the House Republican hierarchy in what was (at that time) the minority party. Anderson increasingly found himself at odds with conservatives in his home district and other members of the House. He was not always a faithful supporter of the Republican agenda, despite his high rank in the Republican caucus. He was very critical of the Vietnam War, and was a very controversial critic of Richard Nixon during Watergate. In 1974, despite his criticism of Nixon, the strong anti-Republican tide in that year's election held him to 55 percent of the vote, what would be the lowest percentage of his career. Anderson described Nixon as a "man of great duplicity".

His spot as the chairman of the House Republican Committee was challenged three times after his election and, when Gerald Ford was defeated in the 1976 presidential campaign, Anderson lost a key ally in Washington. In 1970 and 1972, Anderson had a Democratic challenger in Rockford Professor John E. Devine. In both years, Anderson defeated Devine by a wide margin. In late 1977, a fundamentalist television minister from Rockford, Don Lyon, announced that he would challenge Anderson in the Republican primary. It was a contentious campaign, where Lyon, with his experience before the camera, proved to be a formidable candidate. Lyon raised a great deal of money, won backing from many conservatives in the community and party, and put quite a scare into the Anderson team. Though Anderson was a leader in the House and the campaign commanded national attention, Anderson won the primary by 16% of the vote. Anderson was aided in this campaign by strong newspaper endorsements and crossover support from independents and Democrats.

1980 presidential campaign

Early campaign

In 1978, Anderson formed a presidential campaign exploratory committee, finding little public or media interest. In late April 1979, Anderson made the decision to enter the Republican primary, joining a field that included Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole, John Connally, Howard Baker, George H. W. Bush, and the perennial candidate Harold Stassen. Within the last weeks of 1979, Anderson introduced his signature campaign proposal, advocating that a 50-cent a gallon gas tax be enacted with a corresponding 50% reduction in social security taxes. Anderson built state campaigns in four targeted states—New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Illinois, and Wisconsin. He won some political support among Republicans, picking up endorsements along the way that helped legitimize him in the race. He began to build support among media elites, who appreciated his articulateness, straightforward manner, moderate positions, and his refusal to walk down the conservative path that all of the other Republicans were traveling.

He often referred to his candidacy as "a campaign of ideas." He supported tax credits for businesses' research-and-development budgets, which he believed would increase American productivity; he also supported increasing funding for research at universities. He supported lowering interest rates, antitrust action, conservation, environmental protection and limit oil companies from absorbing small businesses through legislation. He opposed Ronald Reagan's proposal to cut taxes broadly, which he feared would increase the national debt and the inflation rate (which was very high at the time of the campaign), believing it to be "Coolidge-era economics". He also supported a tax on gasoline to reduce dependence on foreign oil. He supported the Equal Rights Amendment, gay rights and abortion rights generally; he also touted his perfect record of having supported all civil rights legislation since 1960. He opposed the requirement for registration for the military draft, which Jimmy Carter had reinstated. This made him appealing to many liberal college students who were dissatisfied with Carter. However, he also voiced support for a strong, flexible military and support for NATO against the USSR, as well as several other positions associated with Republicans, including deregulation of some industries such as natural gas and oil prices, and a balanced budget to be achieved mainly by reductions in government spending.

Republican primary

On January 5, 1980, in the Republican candidates' debate in Des Moines, Iowa, unlike the other candidates, Anderson said lowering taxes, increasing defense spending, and balancing the budget were an impossible combination. In a stirring summation, Anderson invoked his father's immigration to the United States and said that Americans would have to make sacrifices "for a better tomorrow." For the next week, Anderson's name and face were all over the national news programs, in newspapers, and in national news magazines. Anderson spent less than $2000 in Iowa, but he finished with 4.3% of the vote. The television networks were covering the event, portraying Anderson to a national audience as a man of character and principle. When the voters in New Hampshire went to the polls, Anderson again exceeded the expectations, finishing fourth with just under 10% of the vote.

Anderson was declared the winner in both Massachusetts and Vermont by the Associated Press, but the following morning ended up losing both primaries by a slim margin. In Massachusetts, he lost to George Bush by 0.3% and in Vermont he lost to Reagan by 690 votes. Anderson arrived in Illinois following the New England primaries and had a lead in the state polls, but his Illinois campaign struggled despite endorsements from the state's two largest newspapers. Reagan defeated him, 48% to 37%. Anderson carried Chicago and Rockford, the state's two largest cities at the time, but he lost in the more conservative southern section of the state. The next week, there was a primary in Connecticut, which (while Anderson was on the ballot) his team had chosen not to campaign actively in. He finished third in Connecticut with 22% of the vote, and it seemed to most observers like any other loss, whether Anderson said he was competing or not. Next was Wisconsin, and this was thought to be Anderson's best chance for victory, but he again finished third, winning 27% of the vote.

Independent campaign

The Republican platform failed to endorse the Equal Rights Amendment or support extension of time for its ratification. Anderson was a strong supporter of both. Pollsters were finding that Anderson was much more popular across the country with all voters than he was in the Republican primary states. Without any campaigning, he was running at 22% nationally in a three-way race. Anderson's personal aide and confidant, Tom Wartowski, encouraged him to remain in the Republican Party. Anderson faced a huge number of obstacles as a non-major party candidate: having to qualify for 51 ballots (which the major parties appeared on automatically), having to raise money to run a campaign (the major parties received close to $30 million in government money for their campaigns), having to win national coverage, having to build a campaign overnight, and having to find a suitable running mate among them. He built a new campaign team, qualified for every ballot, raised a great deal of money, and rose in the polls to as high as 26% in one Gallup poll.

However, in the summer of 1980, he had an overseas campaign tour to show his foreign policy credentials and it took a drubbing on national television. The major parties, particularly the Republicans, basked in the spotlight of their national conventions where Anderson was left out of the coverage. Anderson made an appearance with Ted Kennedy and it, too, was a huge error. By the third week of August he was in the 13–15% range in the polls. A critical issue for Anderson was appearing in the fall presidential debates after the League of Women Voters invited him to appear due to popular interest in his candidacy, although he was only polling 12% at that time. In late August, he named Patrick Lucey, the former two-term Democratic Governor of Wisconsin and Ambassador to Mexico as his running mate. Late in August, Anderson released a 317-page comprehensive platform, under the banner of the National Unity Party, that was very well received. In early September, a court challenge to Federal Election Campaign Act was successful and Anderson qualified for post-election public funding. Also, Anderson submitted his petitions for his fifty-first ballot. Then, the League ruled that the polls showed that he had met the qualification threshold and said he would appear in the debates.

Fall campaign

Carter said that he would not appear on stage with Anderson, and sat out the debate, which hurt the President in the eyes of voters. Reagan and Anderson had a debate in Baltimore on September 21, 1980. Anderson did well, and polls showed he won a modest debate victory over Reagan, but Reagan, who had been portrayed by Carter throughout the campaign as something of a warmonger, was seen as a reasonable candidate who carried himself well in the debate. The debate was Anderson's big opportunity as he needed a break-out performance, but what he got was a modest victory. In the following weeks, Anderson slowly faded out of the picture with his support dropping from 16% to 10–12% in the first half of October. By the end of the month, Reagan debated Carter alone, but CNN attempted to let Anderson participate in the 2nd debate by tape delay. Daniel Schorr asked Anderson the questions from the Carter-Reagan debate, and then CNN interspersed Anderson's live answers with tape delayed responses from Carter and Reagan.

Anderson's support continued to fade down to 5%, although rose up to 8% just before election day. Although Reagan would win a sizable victory, the polls showed the two major party candidates closer (Gallup's final poll was 47–44–8 going into the election and it was clear that many would-be Anderson supporters had been pulled away by Carter and Reagan. In the end, Anderson finished with 6.6% of the vote. Most of Anderson's support came from those Liberal Republicans who were suspicious of, or even hostile to, Reagan's conservative wing. Many prominent intellectuals, including All in the Family creator Norman Lear, and the editors of the liberal magazine The New Republic, also endorsed the Anderson campaign. Cartoonist Garry Trudeau's Doonesbury ran several strips sympathetic to the Anderson campaign. Former First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, actor Paul Newman and historian Arthur M. Schlesinger Jr. were also reported to be Anderson supporters.

Although the Carter campaign feared Anderson could be a spoiler, Anderson's campaign turned out to be "simply another option" for frustrated voters who had already decided not to back Carter for another term. Polls found that around 37% of Anderson voters favored Reagan as their second choice over Carter. Anderson did not carry a single precinct in the country. Anderson's finish was still the best showing for a third-party candidate since George Wallace's 14 percent in 1968 and stands as the seventh best for any such candidate since the Civil War (trailing James B. Weaver's 8.5 percent in 1892, Theodore Roosevelt's 27 percent in 1912, Robert La Follette's 17 percent in 1924, Wallace, and Ross Perot's 19 percent and 8 percent in 1992 and 1996, respectively). He pursued Ohio's refusal to provide ballot access to the U.S. Supreme Court and won 5–4 in Anderson v. Celebrezze. His inability to make headway against the de facto two-party system as an independent in that election would later lead him to become an advocate for instant-runoff voting, helping to found FairVote in 1992.

Later career

By the end of the campaign, much of Anderson's support came from college students. He capitalized on that by becoming a visiting professor at a series of universities: Stanford University, University of Southern California, Duke University, University of Illinois College of Law, Brandeis University, Bryn Mawr College, Oregon State University, University of Massachusetts Amherst, and Nova Southeastern University and delivered the lecture at the 1988 Waldo Family Lecture Series on International Relations at Old Dominion University. In 1984, Anderson endorsed Walter Mondale over Ronald Reagan in the presidential election. He was chair of FairVote from 1996 to 2008, after helping to found the organization in 1992, and continued to serve on its board until 2014. He also served as president of the World Federalist Association and on the advisory board of Public Campaign and the Electronic Privacy Information Center, and was of counsel to the Washington, D.C.-based law firm of Greenberg & Lieberman, LLC.

He was the first executive director of the Council for the National Interest, founded in 1989 by former Congressmen Paul Findley (R-IL) and Pete McCloskey (R-CA) to promote American interests in the Middle East. In the 2000 U.S. presidential election, he was briefly considered as possible candidate for the Reform Party nomination, but instead endorsed Ralph Nader, who was nominated by the Green Party. In January 2008, Anderson indicated strong support for the candidacy of a fellow Illinoisan, Democratic contender Barack Obama. In 2012, he played a role in the creation of the Justice Party, a progressive, social-democratic party organized to support the candidacy of former Salt Lake City mayor Rocky Anderson (no relation) for the 2012 U.S. presidential election. On August 6, 2014, he endorsed the campaign for the United Nations Parliamentary Assembly (UNPA), one of only six persons who served in the United States Congress ever to do so.

Death

Anderson died in Washington, D.C., on December 3, 2017, at the age of 95. He was interred at Arlington National Cemetery on June 22, 2018.

References

Citations

Sources

External links

 Arlington National Cemetery

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1922 births
2017 deaths
20th-century American politicians
American people of Swedish descent
Brandeis University faculty
Burials at Arlington National Cemetery
Candidates in the 1980 United States presidential election
Centrism in the United States
District attorneys in Illinois
Duke University faculty
Harvard Law School alumni
Illinois Independents
Members of the Evangelical Free Church of America
Military personnel from Illinois
Oregon State University faculty
Politicians from Rockford, Illinois
Republican Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Illinois
United States Army non-commissioned officers
United States Army personnel of World War II
University of Illinois College of Law alumni
University of Massachusetts Amherst faculty

John B. Anderson