Luka Doncic Perfectly Matches World Cup Icons to Their NBA Counterparts—And He's Spot On

Los Angeles Lakers star and passionate Real Madrid supporter Luka Dončić drew comparisons between the World Cup's top players and both current and former NBA stars, merging the worlds of soccer and basketball in a remarkably spot-on video.

Dončić, serving as a Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Community Ambassador, carved out some time from his busy schedule to deliver rapid-fire matchups between soccer's biggest names and their basketball counterparts.

Kicking things off with Manchester City's Erling Haaland, Dončić linked the Norwegian forward to two-time NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant. The Lakers point guard then grinned as he added the caveat that Haaland represents a "young" version of Durant.

He then matched Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé with three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokić, and drew a parallel between Real Madrid winger Vinicius Junior and four-time NBA champion and all-time greatest shooter Stephen Curry.

Dončić Weighs in on Soccer, NBA GOAT Debates

When the time came to find NBA equivalents for Barcelona legend Lionel Messi and Real Madrid icon Cristiano Ronaldo, Dončić offered the only two fitting answers: Michael Jordan and LeBron James.

The Slovenian star paired Ronaldo with James and reserved the distinction of matching Messi with Jordan. Across all four athletes, their trophy hauls are staggering — the two NBA legends share a combined 10 championships, while Ronaldo and Messi together have accumulated 81 honors.

Those figures don't even account for the vast array of individual accolades each of the four icons has earned throughout their careers. Messi, Ronaldo, and James can still continue building on their already extraordinary legacies, even as they enter the later stages of their careers.

Despite his deep-rooted allegiance to Real Madrid — the club where he made his name as part of their basketball team — Dončić aligned Jordan, broadly considered the greatest NBA player ever, with Messi, subtly hinting at his position in the long-running Messi vs. Ronaldo GOAT debate.

Watch the video here.