Where does Luka's 37 rank in all-time World Cup debuts?
OKINAWA (Japan) - Luka Doncic quickly wrote his name in FIBA Basketball World Cup history books following a scintillating debut, Saturday night.
OKINAWA (Japan) - Luka Doncic quickly wrote his name in FIBA Basketball World Cup history books following his first appearance in the competition on Saturday night.
The 24-year-old scored the fourth-most points by a player in a World Cup debut as he dropped 37 to power Slovenia past Venezuela, 100-85, at the Okinawa Arena.
Luka shines in his World Cup debut! 😮💨 #FIBAWC x #WinForSlovenia pic.twitter.com/jCB2UmEvPX
— FIBA Basketball World Cup 2023 🏆 (@FIBAWC) August 26, 2023
He shot an efficient 61.1 percent from the floor, including 9-of-10 from 2-point range, on the way to setting the most points of the ongoing tournament thus far.
It's worth mentioning as well that Doncic has tallied the second-highest efficiency rating of the World Cup to date with 39, as he also had 7 rebounds, 6 assists, and a pair of steals in almost 31 minutes of action.
By scoring that many points, he surpassed Radivoj Korac on the list of World Cup best scorers for their first game. The late Yugoslavia legend was previously at no. 4 with 36, which he did against Peru in 1963.
Doncic was just four points shy from overtaking Korean icon Shin Dong-pa, who unloaded 40 versus Brazil in the 1970 competitions.
On top of the list is Nick Galis. The Greek Hall of Famer had 53 versus Panama in 1986. Second, meanwhile, is another Korean in Lee Chung-hee with 45 versus Brazil in the same meet in Spain.
Aside from Doncic, Carlik Jones is another player from this World Cup to join the elite company. The NBA G-League MVP scored the seventh-most points by a debutant with 35, although it went for naught as South Sudan bowed to Puerto Rico in overtime, 101-96.
Here's the Top 10 list:
MOST POINTS SCORED IN A FIBA WORLD CUP DEBUT
| Player | Team | Opponent | Year | Points |
| Nikos Galis | Greece | Panama | 1986 | 53 |
| Lee Chung-hee | Korea | Brazil | 1986 | 45 |
| Shin Dong-pa | Korea | Brazil | 1970 | 40 |
| Luka Doncic | Slovenia | Venezuela | 2023 | 37 |
| Radivoj Korac | Yugoslavia | Peru | 1963 | 36 |
| Luiz de Azevedo | Brazil | Italy | 1990 | 35 |
| Carlik Jones | South Sudan | Puerto Rico | 2023 | 35 |
| Drazen Petrovic | Yugoslavia | New Zealand | 1986 | 34 |
| Ahmad Al-Dwairi | Jordan | Dominican Republic | 2019 | 34 |
| Fernando Martinez | Spain | Korea | 1990 | 32 |
FIBA