Washington—Slovenian NBA All-Star guard Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks have agreed to terms on a five-year contract extension worth $207 million, according to multiple US media reports Monday.
The 22-year-old playmaker is set to ink a supermax extension, according to the Dallas Morning News and ESPN.
“Today is a dream come true,” Doncic told ESPN. “The game of basketball has given me so much and has taken me to so many amazing places. I am humbled and excited to remain in Dallas as part of the Mavericks.
“I am committed to the organization and appreciate the support of my fans.”
Doncic, who led Slovenia into the medal games at the Tokyo Olympics before a fourth-place finish, had been playing on the deal he signed after being the third overall pick of the 2018 NBA Draft.
Doncic became the youngest MVP in EuroLeague history in 2017-18, when he led Real Madrid to a title before being selected in the NBA draft by the Atlanta Hawks. He was immediately traded from the Hawks to the Mavericks for Trae Young and a future first-round pick.
Doncic averaged 27.7 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.6 assists a game last season shooting 47.9 percent overall from the floor, 35 percent from 3-point range.
After winning the 2019 NBA Rookie of the Year for a 33-49 Mavericks squad, Doncic has sparked Dallas into the playoffs the past two seasons, only to lose to the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round both times.
The Mavericks have not won a playoff series since capturing the 2011 NBA Finals, falling six times in the first round and failing to qualify four times over the past 10 seasons.
In Beijing, Jeremy Lin has tested positive for Covid-19 and is receiving treatment in Shanghai, the former NBA guard and first Asian-American to win an NBA title said in a social media post.
Lin announced in June he was rejoining the Chinese Basketball Association’s Beijing Ducks after a failed NBA comeback.
He tested positive for coronavirus on his third day in quarantine after flying to Shanghai from San Francisco, the 32-year-old posted on Chinese social network Weibo.
“I was shocked and a little bewildered,” he wrote of his initial reaction to the diagnosis.
Lin, who said he had been vaccinated in the US and tested negative for coronavirus multiple times before travelling to China, was unsure when he had contracted Covid-19.
The athlete said he was receiving treatment in Shanghai, and was showing light symptoms.
Lin began his NBA career with the Warriors in 2010, going on to play for the New York Knicks and several other US teams. He has struggled with injury in recent seasons.
China requires travellers from abroad to submit to multiple Covid-19 tests as well as weeks of strict isolation.
Despite some of the world’s strictest containment measures, the country is currently facing its largest outbreak in months after infected airport workers sparked hundreds of cases.