Luka Dončić's road to NBA stardom was paved by a forgotten former Sixer | Sports Daily Newsletter
Marko Milič, who was drafted by the Sixers with the 33rd pick in the 1997 NBA draft, was the first Slovenian drafted into the NBA and provided a young Dončić a role model to follow.
Luka Dončić has taken the NBA by storm since arriving stateside in 2018, making three All-Star games and earning two first-team All-NBA nods in his first four seasons. Most recently, the Slovenian point guard carried the Dallas Mavericks to an upset of the top-seeded Phoenix Suns and a place in the Western Conference finals.
But long before there was Luka, there was Marko Milič.
Who?
Milič was the first Slovenian to be drafted into the NBA, after the Sixers selected him with the 33rd pick in 1997. The 6-foot-6 wing, whom TNT showed dunking over a car during its draft coverage, never played a game for the Sixers but had a major impact on a young Luka Dončić.
That is because Milič played with Luka’s dad, Sasa, back in Slovenia, where an 8-year-old Luka often hung around the team. As the first Slovenian in the NBA, in a way, Milič paved the way for Dončić's future success in the league. Matt Breen caught up with Milič to hear his memories of a young Dončić, find out what it’s like now training Dončić with the Slovenian national team, his impressions of Philadelphia during his short stay, and more.
— Inquirer Sports Staff, @phillysport, sports.daily@inquirer.com.
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‘I’m trying to keep that fire alive’
Corey Phelan’s daily schedule looks a lot different these days. The 19-year-old Phillies pitching prospect is not working out in Clearwater, Fla., at the team facility. Now he wakes up at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York and undergoes chemotherapy treatment three times a week. He was diagnosed in April with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma and is on a treatment plan that will last two years. Along the way, he is being supported by another Phillies prospect, one who knows a thing or two about a shocking health scare.
Bryce Harper missed a second straight game after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection on Sunday, but he should be able to return to the lineup on Wednesday.
With Harper out of the lineup, the Phillies managed only five hits Tuesday in a 3-0 loss to the San Diego Padres. Their outfield defense was not great, either.
Next: The Phillies continue their series with the Padres at 6:45 p.m. Wednesday (NBCSP). Zack Wheeler (1-3, 4.26 ERA) will be opposed by Padres left-hander Blake Snell, who will be making his season debut.
Talking about practice
The Eagles do love their joint practices in the preseason. Coach Nick Sirianni has equated the work being done in these practices with other NFL teams — the Jets and Patriots held them with the Eagles last year — to the benefits of playing an actual preseason game. So the Eagles in August will travel to Ohio and Florida to hold joint practices with the Browns and Dolphins.
Next: Eagles players will address the media on Wednesday.
Big 5 stars audition at G League Elite Camp
The 76ers’ draft position is up in the air after the James Harden trade, which gave the Brooklyn Nets the option of taking their 2022 first-round pick. With the Sixers potentially out of the summer’s biggest event, we take a look at local players taking part in the festivities.
Former Big 5 stars Jermaine Samuels (Villanova) and Jordan Hall (St. Joseph’s) are in Chicago at G League Elite Camp. They’re hoping to play well enough to receive an invite to the NBA Draft Combine, where they would be able to play in front of NBA front office members, coaches, and scouts in advance of June’s draft.
While there are no guarantees for Samuels and Hall in this process, they plan to give it their all and let the chips fall where they may. “It’s not about the status,” Samuels said. “It’s about how you compete every day. I feel like if I have an opportunity, then I’ve got to take advantage of it.”
MLS salaries unveiled
How much money are your favorite Union players making?
The MLS Players Association released its first round of salary data for this season on Tuesday, providing insight into the salaries of newcomers like Mikael Uhre and Julián Carranza.
There’s also a new top earner in the league, which comes as a bit of a surprise.
Next: The Union host Inter Miami in league play on Wednesday (7:30 p.m., PHL17).
Flyers add a winner
After a losing season, the Flyers will need to relearn how to win in 2022-23. On Tuesday, they added a player with a winning pedigree to the mix to help in that regard.
The Flyers signed defenseman Adam Ginning, a second-round pick in 2018, to an entry-level deal. The Swede is known for playing with “authority” and recently won the Swedish Hockey League title with Färjestad BK.
Worth a look
Local wins NCAA Triple Crown: Bryce Harper may have won the National League MVP last year, but the best statistical season by a local hitter has to go to Penn State Abington’s Ryan McCarty. The senior recently put up one of the best collegiate seasons of all time, leading NCAA Division III in hits (100), batting average (.529), homers (29), doubles (27), RBIs (91), runs (89), and setting a new D-III single-season record for total bases (220).
Trivia Tuesday answer
We asked: What other team did the Eagles temporarily merge with during World War II?
Answer: C, the Pittsburgh Steelers. Unofficially known as the “Steagles,” the Eagles and Steelers merged for the 1943 season after both team’s rosters were depleted because of players serving in World War II.
We compiled today’s newsletter using reporting from Matt Breen, Alex Coffey, Giana Han, Jonathan Tannenwald, Sam Cohn, Gina Mizell, and Jeff McLane.