Luka Doncic has firmly established himself as one of the best young superstars in the NBA today. As a matter of fact, more than a few folks would say that the Mavs superstar is going to be the face of the NBA in the near future.

It now seems like a lifetime away when Luka was a 19-year-old rookie just trying to find his way in the league. As it turns out, during this very challenging time in his career, the Mavs youngster received some sound advice from none other than Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant:

“Actually I met him before, it was in Portland, Doncic revealed in a recent episode of JJ Redick's The Old Man & the Three podcast. “Just after I was drafted, I think, it was the Nike campus. He was there, and the one advice he gave me was, ‘Watch out, they’re gonna come after you because you’re from Europe. They’re gonna try and go after you.’ And it was true.”

Adjusting to life in the United States proved to be one of the biggest challenges for Doncic as a teenager with the Mavs. Prior to moving to America, the Slovenian national spent his entire life in Europe playing for Spanish giants Real Madrid. It was a tough transition for him with the major culture change, particularly when he landed in Dallas.

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Thankfully, he was on the receiving end of some excellent words of wisdom from an all-time great. Kobe himself grew up in Europe and he too went through a transition period when he moved to the U.S. as a kid in high school. The late, great Lakers icon was more than willing to share his learnings with Luka.

In truth, however, Doncic's transition on the basketball court appeared to be seamless. He took the NBA by storm in his first year, bagging Rookie of the Year honors in his first season with the Mavs. He has since taken his game to new heights and he now stands as one of the top superstars in the game. Sometimes, it's easy to forget that Luka Doncic is just 22 and on his fourth year in the NBA.