The Slovenia men’s basketball team didn’t medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
But Luka Doncic and co. still received a hero’s welcome home.
After winning its first 17 games with Doncic and qualifying for its first Olympics, Slovenia lost a thriller to France in the semifinals then fell to Australia in the bronze-medal game.
“I need to learn from this, we all need to learn from this,” Doncic said. “But at the same time, we’re in the top four in the world. Slovenia, 2 million people.”
Plenty of fans in Slovenia shared that attitude, cheering the team’s arrival to the airport. Unlike the NBA’s championship-or-bust culture, the Olympics offer a cool dynamic where the top three finishers are celebrated.
And, sometimes, fourth is special, too.