Luka Doncic was conspicuously absent during the Slovenian national anthem during Thursday’s EuroBasket game against Israel, but there was a good reason for it.
Doncic was asked after Slovenia’s 106-96 win why he was absent when the national anthem was played prior to the game. His answer was simple: he was having a bit of a bathroom emergency.
“I had to do something on the toilet,” Doncic said. “If you’re also interested about that, then I don’t know. I wouldn’t miss an anthem but I had to go urgent. I couldn’t wait until halftime.”
Luka Dončić on why he missed Slovenian anthem:
"Because I had to do something on the toilet. If you're also interested about that, then I don't know. I wouldn't miss an anthem but I had to go urgent. I couldn't wait until halftime."
Source: Šport TV pic.twitter.com/cb5zigty6K
— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) September 4, 2025
While awkward, Doncic is hardly the first to have some sort of bathroom emergency. It has even happened to some of the greats on live television. Sure, it was ill-timed, but at least he was honest about it.
Once the game started, Doncic did not experience any ill effects from whatever had sent him to the bathroom. He scored 37 points and added 11 rebounds and nine assists in the victory.
Slovenia had already been assured of progression to the knockout stages of the tournament. Unsurprisingly, Doncic has been a force during the country’s five group stage games, averaging 32.4 points per game with his team going 3-2 overall.