Why Does Luka Dončić Wear No. 77 on His Jersey?Home > Entertainment > Celebrity > Sports > NBASource: Instagram Luka Dončić' s Now-Iconic No 77 Jersey Is an Homage to This Famous Greek AthleteBy Chris BarillaApr. 28 2022, Published 3:29 p.m. ET It goes without saying at this point that Slovenian athlete Luka Dončić is one of the brightest stars in the NBA. The current Dallas Mavericks franchise leader in career triple-doubles, Luka has been shaking up the world of professional basketball quite a bit ever since he was drafted as a rookie into the NBA in the 2018–19 season.Article continues below advertisement There are a lot of already-legendary facets of Luka's career worth talking about, but many fans seem to fixate on his jersey No. 77, searching for any significance it may have to the player. So, why does Luka wear 77 on his jersey? Source: InstagramArticle continues below advertisement Why does Luka Dončić wear No 77 on his jersey It may seem as though 77 was a randomly assigned numeral, but Luka has made it clear that his choice is an homage to Greek professional basketball player Vassilis Spanoulis. Per EuroHoops, Luka revealed his decision to select the No. 77 during a press conference after a 2021 game against Angola. "Obviously, Felipe Reyes was my teammate, and he taught me well. He was the veteran over there, and he won almost everything," the NBA star said. "He was a really big time for my career. [Vassilis] was my idol since I was little. I was watching him. It was kind of sad seeing him retiring."Article continues below advertisement Luka continued by saying, "That’s why I wear No 7. I mean, I couldn’t wear No. 7, cause it was already taken, so I took 77. He was really, really big time for me." No. 7, which is what Vassilis donned, had already been claimed by Kleman Prepelic, an older Slovenian player who had seniority over Luka when the latter joined the national team. Nonetheless, Luka took it in stride and simply added another 7 to his number, making it 77.Source: InstagramArticle continues below advertisement Klemen even posted a message of support for his teammate on Twitter when he selected No. 77, sharing a flick of his new jersey with the encouraging statement, "bigtime!!" The same number issue arose again when Luka was drafted by the Mavericks, as Dwight Powell already had No. 7, leaving the Slovenian star to select his now-signature No. 77 again. Luka has made his affinity for Vassilis known for some time, even tweeting a thank you message to the athlete when the latter retired from basketball. On another instance, Luka reaffirmed his love for the Greek athlete by saying, "Obviously, I looked at LeBron, but I mostly watched Spanoulis. I do not know if you guys know him, but he played in Olympiacos," per Basket News. Likewise, Vassilis has expressed his admiration for Luka's skills and has said that he is a fan of the rising NBA star. "It's an honor hearing one of the greatest players in the world saying that he played basketball because of me. My kids are watching him, I am very happy that I inspired a phenomenal player like him," he said, per Basket News. It's clear that the NBA star and his idol have quite an impressive level of respect for one another.AdvertisementMore from Distractify This Is the Meaning Behind Luka Doncic's Jersey Message — and Why It's So Important Mark Cuban's Mavericks Won't Play the National Anthem Before Games Anymore Why Is Nikola Jokić Called "Joker" in the NBA? The Denver Nuggets Star's Nickname Explained Latest NBA News and UpdatesAdvertisementABOUT DistractifyAbout UsPrivacy PolicyTerms of UseDMCASitemapCONNECT with DistractifyLink to Facebook Link to TwitterLink to InstagramContact us by Email Copyright 2022 Distractify. Distractify is a registered trademark. All Rights Reserved. People may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.