Dallas Mavericks all-star point guard Luka Donic recently announced a partnership with 2K Foundations to rebuild basketball courts in his hometown of Ljubljana, Slovenia.

“This is a very exciting day for me,” Luka Doncic said. “I have great memories growing up in Ljubljana. These are my childhood courts where I learned and practiced the game. It’s an honor to be able to give back to my city and to my country that gave me so much and that I love.  The opportunity for kids to play on the same courts and pursue the same dreams I had is something I am excited about.”

Alongside NBA2K, Luka Doncic was able to refurbish the courts where he grew up playing basketball and add new seating and lighting. 

Last week, many fans attended the official opening event of the new courts. The young supporters got to be the first ones to play on the court, and Luke was there to present it.

This event was all made possible by 2K Foundations, a program that focuses on elevating communities worldwide by providing resources and experiences. The organization has invested in more than 40 initiatives to provide access to sports, career, and learning opportunities.

“Foundations plays a very important role for 2K and our sports titles,” said David Ismailer, president of 2K. “We’re incredibly proud of the contributions made to communities, from court refurbishments to STEM programming. We’re honored to have created a program that plays a part in giving some of the world’s biggest athletes and talents, such as Luka, the chance to further connect with the communities that mean so much to them.”

Luka Doncic, the cover athlete of NBA 2K22, was able to feature his own artwork on the court, working with a Slovenian graphic designer Nejc Prah. Luka’s new logo integrates Luka’s initials, his jersey number 77, and arrows with negative space revealing an ‘S’ for his home country.

The people of Ljubljana are grateful for Luka’s contributions and active involvement. Ljubljana’s mayor spoke on behalf of the town in thanking the NBA star.

“Having Luka return to his hometown and dedicate these courts to his childhood town is such an honor,” said Zoran Janković, Ljubljana’s mayor. “He continues to represent Slovenia globally, and we’re proud of what he has done for our country, not only at the Olympics but his efforts in the NBA. He loves Ljubljana, and the city and country love him.”

This generous act is one of many by the young 22-year-old. Luka Doncic was the Mavericks’ nominee for March’s NBA Cares Community Assist Award for his work during the 2020-21 season.

In February, he helped Texans get through the historic winter snowstorm with numerous donations and provided shoes and other necessities to healthcare workers battling the Coronavirus on the front line.

Luka Doncic continues to make great strides not only in the game of basketball but through his community and beyond. The young NBA star is the face of the next generation as a player and a person, using his platform to impact the world positively.

Following a controversial split decision win, the brewing rivalry between creator-turned-boxer Jake Paul and former UFC champion Tyron Woodley seems to be far from over. 

Post-fight antics exploded at both the fighter’s subsequent interviews as well as the press conference. 

Tyron Woodley, the 39-year-old fighter, alleged that he won the fight and was looking for an immediate rematch vs. the 24-year-old upcoming Jake Paul. 

After the 8 round bout, many were disappointed with the outcome, especially considering the amount of hype that went into the fight’s buildup. 

Jake Paul, the favorite going in, showed poise, patience, and good movement. Woodley, on the other hand, merely poked at Paul with a lack of aggression. He would later confirm that his previous fights, ones which ended in losses due to unchecked recklessness offensively, played a factor in his strategy of playing it safe.

The most memorable moment came when Tyron Woodley nearly ended the bout in the fourth round after landing a perfectly placed right hand. The shot sent Paul onto the ropes and became Woodley’s argument for why he should get a rematch. 

To avid fight fans, Woodley’s ring presence didn’t live up to the caliber that it should’ve. Both on the scale of a boxer and a UFC champion, the underperformance was lackluster and may have even taken a bit of credibility away from Jake Paul’s victory.  

Still, there’s no denying that this fight’s intensity was stronger than all of Paul’s previous bouts. Not only was Woodley obviously trying to win (at least to an extent greater than Ben Askren did), but the fight going 8 rounds showed that Jake Paul’s cardio is sufficient actually to fight in real, competitive matchups. 

After Tyron Woodley’s post-fight callout, many expect a rematch to arrive sometime soon. Though, Paul would later mention that he may be taking time off from getting into the ring. 

The candidates for his next bout are seemingly set between rising cruiserweight Tommy Fury and a rematch with Tyron Woodley. More details are likely to be released soon.

With some time off during the offseason, NBA All-Star Damian Lillard is taking his talents to the music studio. 

The Blazer guard, who raps under the stage name “Dame D.O.L.L.A.,” recently announced that he’d be dropping his fourth album, ”Different on Levels the Lord Allowed,” joining “The Letter O,” “Confirmed,” and “Big D.O.L.L.A.” Damian Lillard revealed the album is inspired by Tupac & Mary J. Blige.

The athlete has already released one of his singles, “The Juice,” in anticipation of the new album.

“Can’t wait for y’all to hear this full project and see the videos I have coming. It’s really about my mentality and how I got to this place in my life,” he said in a tweet.

This can be seen in his recent single ‘The Juice,’ where Lillard’s lyrics paid respect to his fellow friend Kobe Bryant at the 2:48 mark with the line:

“Doing Kobe drills. Ease my mind. Hope I slowly heal.”

This isn’t the first time that Lillard has recognized the Los Angeles Lakers legend through his music. Last year, Damian Lillard dropped a song named “Kobe” in collaboration with Snoop Dogg and Derrick Milano. The song would become part of the NBA 2k21 soundtrack.

”Different on Levels the Lord Allowed” will be coming out on streaming services on August 20, and fans couldn’t be more hyped for it. After all, many would confidently declare Lillard to be the best rapper in NBA history by a wide margin.

Damian Lillard himself believes it as well, as he said in a recent interview with Ebro Darden on Apple Music. When asked who’s the greatest basketball player who raps, he responded surely, “It’s me. Without a doubt.”

In the interview, he also talked about who will be featured in the album and how he made the music.

“It’s a self-titled album, the next one. I’m going to drop it in August probably, and on that I got Q-Tip on there, Blxst, Jane Hancock, I got my boy OG Tree from Oakland too” he said. “I think this album I went much deeper. I went from making it fun, or trying to have people like it, but I went more into… like you said, I got more information now, and my understanding of just how successful I am and what it means to have the experience that I have and coming from where I come from and why it’s valuable in the business that I’m in and why I can carry things this way.”

Besides his own songs, the basketball star has several features, including J.Cole and Lil Wayne. His most recent was on the Space Jam: A New Legacy soundtrack, “About That Time,” where he teamed up with G-Eazy, P-Lo, and Noah David.

Damian Lillard will further move up the hip-hip ladder industry as he raises the bar on his music. ”Different on Levels the Lord Allowed” will be exciting listen, and the anticipation is picking up. The cover has already been released, and the release date and title are on Instagram are ready for pre-order.