Is youth basketball evolving into a space for genuine growth, or is it just another marketing play? The Luka Doncic Foundation by the Dallas Mavericks guard seems to have sparked a debate if the existing setup for basketball learning among the youth is efficient enough. Especially because Doncic has himself questioned the existing scenario stating the youth now lacks a joy for the game that they once used to have. Former NBA star Lou Williams has countered the Mavs guard’s claims only to prove that anyone, but his basketball club, is involved in this heist of joy.

Taking to Instagram, Williams wrote, “Can say that again… We still enjoy growing the game and creating lifelong bonds,” while tagging his basketball club for girls, Winners United Basketball. The former Los Angeles star believes his program is an example of how to keep the joy alive in the sport.

For those unfamiliar, Winners United Basketball is a club Williams has been running since at least 2022, as evidenced by its first official social media post. While Williams owns the club, sports trainer Matt Grier serves as its Program Director.

So, why did Williams feel the need to comment? It all started with Luka Doncic’s concerns about how young athletes are treated. According to Doncic, turning kids into miniature professionals is doing more harm than good.

“Kids are walking away from youth basketball because we’ve replaced joy with pressure. When we treat young players like pros, we lose the friendship, growth and fun that make sports special. This has to change,” he said in connection with the launch of his own Luka Doncic Foundation.

The primary goal of the foundation, as highlighted by the Slovenian basketball player, is to ensure that children are learning how to play basketball within a positive environment. Launched on World Basketball Day last year, the 5x All-Star’s foundation already commissioned a study on youth basketball in the US and Europe’s Balkan region.

It was part of this study’s findings that revealed that “joy, creativity and exploration are being squeezed out of the game.” And the Mavs guard has received some support from the NBA community regarding his observation.

Apart from the backing from big names, Luka Doncic’s vision receives 8x All-Star’s support

Doncic and Damian Lillard might suit up for rival teams, but they’re clearly on the same page when it comes to an important issue. The pressure that young athletes face today. If you’ve been following Luka on Instagram, you might have seen Lillard reposting one of his posts on Thursday with a strong endorsement.

“Big big facts,” Lillard wrote. “It’s a problem.” The support came for the Mavs guard’s aforementioned opinion of pressure on young athletes. But Luka isn’t just talking about it—he’s taking action. His foundation has brought together some of basketball’s biggest names to form a youth sports council. Their goal? To reimagine youth basketball so young athletes can thrive, both on and off the court.

And this isn’t just any council. We’re talking legends like Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, and Steve Nash, as well as All-Stars Grant Hill and Tracy McGrady. Even active stars like Steph Curry and Sabrina Ionescu are on board. So it’s clear that these names will also be backing Luka Doncic’s vision for the youth learning basketball.