[16] Representing Olimpija at the under-14 Vasas Intesa Sanpaolo Cup in Budapest in September 2011, Dončić was named the most valuable player (MVP) despite finishing as runners-up to FC Barcelona.

[24][25] Dončić averaged 13.0 points, 4.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 3.3 steals per game to win tournament MVP honors, leading Real Madrid to a second-place finish.

[16][26] In September 2012, at 13 years of age, Dončić signed a five-year contract with Real Madrid, immediately standing out on the under-16 team with coach Paco Redondo.

[34] On April 30, 2015, Dončić made his professional debut for Real Madrid in the Liga ACB against Unicaja, making his only three-point attempt in under two minutes of playing time.

[35] At 16 years, two months, and two days of age, Dončić became the youngest player to ever play for Real Madrid in the ACB and the third-youngest debutant in league history, behind only Ricky Rubio and Ángel Rebolo.

[54][60] Dončić assumed a more significant role for Real Madrid entering the 2017–18 season after the team's star player Sergio Llull suffered a torn ACL during EuroBasket 2017.

[73][74] On March 30, 2018, Dončić scored 24 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and made a game-winning three-pointer under a second left in regulation to beat Crvena zvezda Belgrade, 82–79.

[90][91] After the draft, Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle said, "At one point, we thought there might be a slight chance Dončić could fall to us, but a couple of days ago it was pretty clear that there was no way that was going to happen.

The performance made Dončić the third-youngest player in NBA history to accomplish the feat at 19 years and 327 days old, behind LaMelo Ball and Markelle Fultz.

[118] Dončić became just the fifth player in NBA history to average at least 20 points, 5 rebounds and 5 assists in his rookie year, joining Oscar Robertson (1960–61), Michael Jordan (1984–85), LeBron James (2003–04), and Tyreke Evans (2009–10).

[126] Ten days later, in a 117–110 victory over the San Antonio Spurs, Dončić recorded a then-career-high 42 points and his sixth triple-double of the season by adding 11 rebounds and 12 assists.

[140] On August 8, Dončić had a then-career-high 19 assists, which tied LeBron James for an NBA season high,[141] 36 points, 14 rebounds, and two turnovers in a 136–132 win against the Milwaukee Bucks.

[146] On August 23, he became the youngest player in NBA postseason history with a 40-point triple-double, scoring 43 points, including a game-winning, buzzer-beating three-pointer, in a 135–133 overtime victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

[154] With that performance, Dončić became just the fourth player in NBA history to record a 30-point triple-double with at least 20 assists, joining Oscar Robertson, Magic Johnson, and Russell Westbrook.

At the age of 22 years andlovenia ended up losing th 68 days old, he became the fourth-youngest player to achieve the feat, trailing only LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and Carmelo Anthony.

[167] On February 10, Dončić scored 28 of his career-high 51 points in the first quarter, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out six assists on 17-of-26 shooting from the field, including seven three-pointers, in a 112–105 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers.

[180] On May 15, Dončić recorded 35 points, 10 rebounds, four assists, and two steals in three quarters of play in a 123–90 Game 7 victory, securing the Mavericks a place in the Western Conference Finals.

[208] On January 12, Dončić recorded his 10th triple-double of the season with 35 points, 14 rebounds, and 13 assists playing a career-high 53 minutes in a 119–115 double overtime victory over the Los Angeles Lakers.

[225] Dončić became the sixth player to reach 10,000 career regular-season points before turning 25, joining LeBron James, Kevin Durant, Kobe Bryant, Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady.

[246] On May 15, 2024, in Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals against the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dončić delivered his sixth career playoff triple-double of 31 points, 10 rebounds, and 11 assists in a 104–92 victory.

[248] In Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves on May 24, Dončić recorded a triple-double of 32 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists, and a game-winning three-pointer with three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, in a 109–108 victory.

[260] On February 2, 2025, Dončić was traded, alongside Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris, to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Max Christie, Anthony Davis and a 2029 first-round pick.

[283] For his play during the tournament, Dončić was selected to the FIBA All-Star Five team, joining Patty Mills, Ricky Rubio, Kevin Durant, and Rudy Gobert as the five best players at the games.

"[297] Since his early years with Real Madrid, Dončić was tabbed as one of Europe's premier talents, with Spanish newspaper Marca giving him the nickname "El Niño Maravilla" (The Wonder Boy).

[303][304][305] Dallas Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle refuted some of the worries regarding Dončić's athleticism, stating that "for a 19-year-old, he's got a really unusual combination of size, speed, and deceptive quickness.

[314] In December 2019, San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich called Dončić's playing style "Magic Johnson-like" because "he sees the floor in that same way.

"[317] During his first career playoff game against the Los Angeles Clippers, TV analyst and former point guard Mark Jackson, reiterated his view of Dončić, calling him "an absolute combination of Magic Johnson and Larry Bird.

"[318] In January 2024, former basketball player and Dallas Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd stated about Dončić that "he's better than Dirk [Nowitzki]" and that "he's in the atmosphere of [Michael Jordan], the best to ever do it, LeBron [James], Kobe [Bryant]".

[366] Sports journalist Mina Kimes profiled Dončić in April 2018, writing that he is a gamer and enjoys playing Call of Duty, FIFA, and Overwatch.

[312][367] Dončić's skill in the latter has been particularly noted, having reached the "Grandmaster" tier in competitive play in March 2023,[368] and later becoming a top 500 player in the tank role in Overwatch 2.