Forget water trampolines and dock slides, there is a new watertoy taking over.
NBA star Luka Doncic is a Slovenian-born superstar currently playing for the Dallas Mavericks and he's responsible for the gem you see above.
The former NBA Rookie of the Year and 4-time All-Star has had a good run since entering the league in 2017. He's insanely popular in both North America and Europe, and he's a media darling to boot. He also averaged an insane 32.4 points, 8.6 rebounds, and 8 assists per game last season. That's pretty good.
Naturally that makes him a bit of a hometown hero, so he paid his people back by serving as a member of the Slovenian National Team, helping them qualify for the Olympics in 2021 -- no small feat for a small European nation not known for its basketball prowess. Despite only being 24, he's widely considered one of the greatest European players of all time.
He's also inadvertently redesigning the watersports market.
Last weekend, the NBA stud hosted a 3-on-3 tournament in his native Slovenia that redefined the entire concept of 'watertoy.' Most boaters like to keep a tube for towing the kids around, or maybe a water trampoline at the cottage so everyone can add to their on-water enjoyment.
But not Luka, he went bigger.
His new tournament was hosted on Lake Bled in the Julian Alps, which is undoubtedly the most stunning location to ever host a basketball game, and the court itself was placed on the lake.
The custom-built mini-court is essentially a floating dock with high sidewalls to prevent unanticipated swims, but otherwise meets all NBA court requirements, just on a smaller scale.
The brilliant concept makes it easier to cool off after a tough game, too.
Even more, the tournament also served as the launching spot for Doncic's new custom Luka 2 'Lake Bled' sneaker built in partnership with Michael Jordan's legendary 'Jordan' brand.
Forget about dock shoes and loafers, it's time for Jordan's on the lake.
If you've never attended a public event from the water, I highly recommend it. Most waterfront cities and towns host host fireworks shows or organize dockside events to encourage boaters to attend by water. Attending anything by boat makes it infinitely more fun. Trust me.
Have you ever watched a San Francisco Giants game? Oracle Park is built on San Francisco Bay, and whenever a slugger sends one far enough over the right field wall it ends up in the Bay, which triggers a tsunami of canoeists, kayakers, and boaters launching themselves overboard in search of memorabilia. For the older sports fans, you may remember the fanaticism when Barry Bonds was ripping homers into the Bay during his quest for 73 dingers in 2001. It adds a little extra entertainment to the game.
Now imagine that, but in the Slovenian mountains, but with errant alley oops triggering boaters to launch into Lake Bled to snag a signature Luka basketball.
Having been to a couple NBA games, and having seen my share of fireworks shows from the bow of a boat, I would gladly pay a premium to watch Doncic dominate while anchored up with a drink in my hand. The days of water trampolines are over. It's time to embrace the Luka-court. And here's a million dollar idea -- build these as Slamball courts for added entertainment. Remember Slamball?
Somebody get on that ASAP.
