Before Luka Doncic started dominating in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar cut his teeth with Spanish outfit Real Madrid.
Doncic joined the famed Real Madrid basketball program at just 13 years old. It didn't take long before he made his professional debut at age 16, as he set the record for the youngest player to ever debut for the Spanish team.
During his memorable three-year tenure with Madrid, Doncic got the opportunity to team up with a number of players who turned out to be icons of the sport. One of them was former EuroLeague MVP Sergio Llull, who has firmly established himself as a Real Madrid legend during his 18 years with the team.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on during a game.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) looks on during a game.
Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images
On Tuesday, the 37-year-old officially announced his retirement from the Spanish National Team via a lengthy post on Instagram.
"I want to announce that I have decided to put an end to my time as a player of the Spanish National Team. It has been an honor and a true privilege to wear the national team jersey summer after summer," an excerpt from Llull's message read.
In his post, Llull thanked the national team's officials, the coaches, his teammates, his family and the fans. The three-time EuroLeague champion, however, made it clear that he is not retiring from Madrid, and intends to focus on his club now that he's walked away from international basketball.
Doncic, who got the opportunity to play alongside Llull in Madrid for three years, reacted to the announcement with a simple non-verbal message.
"ð❤️" Doncic wrote in the comments section.
The Lakers superstar also shared Llull's post via his own Instagram stories.
Doncic, who plays for the Slovenian national squad, also got the opportunity to battle Llull on the court at the international level, and the five-time NBA All-Star is very much aware of how big of an impact Llull has had on Spanish basketball.
Doncic has nothing but love and respect for his former teammate, and the fact that he was one of the first to react to Llull's official retirement announcement is a testament to the same.