Man, there is just something about Luka Doncic that grinds Kerr Kriisa‘s gears. Their paths have crossed over the years playing internationally, the Kentucky guard out of Estonia once saying “It’s pretty easy to get into his head” after guarding the five-time NBA All-Star in the 2022 FIBA World Cup qualifiers.
Then during his official visit to Lexington after signing with the Wildcats out of the transfer portal, he told the coaching staff he’d be wearing No. 77 in his final season of eligibility. When asked if he was a fan of Doncic, the player who made the number famous in the league with only 17 others in history sporting it, Kriisa said it was actually the Slovenian superstar who stole it from him.
The fifth-year senior was simply taking back what was his.
“‘No, Luka took my number, man. What are you talking about?’” Mark Pope said of his conversation with Kriisa back in May.
One month later, Doncic is the subject of controversy in the NBA Finals, his Dallas Mavericks hanging on for dear life after falling down 3-0 in the series before finally beating the Boston Celtics in Game 4. The 25-year-old took an avalanche of criticism following Dallas’ 106-99 Game 3 loss, fouling out with 4:12 to go after complaining to officials and cosplaying as a defensive turnstile all night. That was while huffing and puffing up and down the floor essentially from the opening tip, fans and national talking heads using his poor conditioning as the butt of their jokes when analyzing the series deficit, one that has never been overcome in NBA history — teams are 156-0 when up 3-0.
Doncic responded with an impressive 29-point effort his next time out, but that doesn’t mean he’s immune from catching strays, certainly not from his longtime rival.
At Kentucky‘s Father/Son Camp on Saturday, attendees participated in a Q&A session with the new Wildcats to close out the event. There, a young camper asked Kriisa who is better between him and the NBA scoring champion.
His response?
“It’s an easy answer, it’s Luka,” the Kentucky guard said. “Luka is still in the league while being completely out of shape, so good for him.”
And the crowd goes wild, young fans in attendance howling while his teammates giggle in the background. College basketball’s biggest villain strikes again — you adore him when he’s on your team, hate his guts when he’s not.
“All I can say is, Big Blue Nation, you are welcome. Enjoy,” Pope said of Kriisa. “… I love this kid.”
It hasn’t taken long for Kentucky fans to love him, either.
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