A player who looks exactly like ‘NBA superstar’ Luka Doncic (25, Dallas Mavericks) has appeared in Hongcheon.
The NH Bank FIBA 3×3 Hongcheon Challenger 2024 was held on May 11 and 12 at the special court of Hongcheon Tori Forest Urban Forest Park in Hongcheon, Hongcheon-gun, Gangwon-do. Sixteen 3×3 teams from around the world competed in the event.
World powerhouses such as the United States (Princeton), Latvia (Adage), the Netherlands (Utrecht), and Germany (Düsseldorf) participated. It is the only international 3×3 basketball tournament held in Korea this year. Korea was represented by four teams – Seoul, Busan All One Bank, Hamo Jinju, 텍사스홀덤사이트 and Budget Hanwool – but all of them failed to advance to the quarterfinals.
One of the most talked-about players of the tournament was Donchichi. It was Alan Borger (27, 193cm) from Düsseldorf, Germany, who was nicknamed “Chop Chop” for his look-alike resemblance to Don Chi-chi. But it wasn’t just a physical resemblance; like Doncic, he was also a master of advanced individual skills such as the Eurostep and step-back jump shot. Korean fans who first saw him on the basketball court quickly became fans.
Allen’s Düsseldorf fell to Japan’s Utsunomiya 18-21 in the first match of the main draw on Nov. 11. Düsseldorf advanced to the quarterfinals with a 21-10 victory over Seoul, which was led by No. 1-ranked Kim Jung-hyeon of South Korea.
Düsseldorf’s quarterfinal opponent on Wednesday was top-seeded Princeton of the United States, who put up a good fight but fell short, 14-21. Allen led the team in scoring with five points. However, his 1-of-6 shooting from outside the arc did not help. He had the looks, but not the skills.
I caught up with Allen after the tournament and he said: “The Americans were very tough and physical. It was hard to make shots against them. They made all the tough shots. They just played better. Our original goal was to finish in the top three and qualify for the Masters League, but we didn’t make it,” he said.
He also said he resembles Doncic. “I hear it all the time. Every time I go to a tournament, 50 people come up to me and say that. I’ve never actually seen Doncic. Sometimes I can see the resemblance,” he laughs.
If he were to represent Germany at the Paris Olympics, could he see Doncic? “It would be nice to go to Paris, but I can’t go. I don’t play for Germany. Maybe I’ll get a chance to see Doncic next time.”
We also asked him about his first impressions of Korea. “It’s my first time in Korea and I love it. Before I came to Hongcheon, I went to Seoul to sightsee. The people are very friendly. I would like to see more of Korea, but we have to go back to Germany tomorrow. It’s a shame for us. We hope to come back next time and see Korea properly.”
He also said that the Korean fans really liked him in the short time he played for them. “I like the Korean fans too. Even though they didn’t speak English, I could tell they loved me. I love the Korean fans too,” he said.