Luka Doncic Not-So-Casually Woken Up By A North Korea Missile Alert Ahead Of FIBA World Cup

Published|Updated

Teams competing in Okinawa, Japan ahead of the 2023 FIBA World Cup had a rude, very early wake-up call on Wednesday in the form of an emergency siren that rang out in the city at around 4:00 AM. The siren was raised due to North Korean missile activity, which certainly caught the attention of NBA star and Slovenia international Luka Doncic.

Doncic was asked about the missile alert later in the day, and put things in quite the perspective about what it's like to wake up to something saying 'missiles are coming.'

“Oh yeah, the alarm was crazy,” Doncic told reporters. “I mean, I just saw ‘Missiles, it’s coming. Missile, it’s coming.’ So I was a little scared.”

Yeah, I think we'd all be a little scared hearing an alarm scream out that missiles were potentially being launched in the area.

0f5ed739-

Luka Doncic was woken up by a North Korea missile warning ahead of the FIBA World Cup. (Photo By Joaquin Corchero/Europa Press via Getty Images)

According to a statement provided by FIBA, the alarm lasted for 13 minutes, and that the launch that took place was actually a satellite.

"Due to the launch of a satellite by North Korea, the Japanese Government sent two alarms via the “J-Alert system” on all cell phones in Okinawa early this morning," the statement said. "The first was sent at 3:54 am and the second at 4:07 am, clearing the alarm."

READ: MAVS SUPERSTAR LUKA DONCIC PULLS OFF SICK TRICK SHOT DURING PRACTICE WITH SLOVENIA

The statement also stated that North Korea has issued a notice that the next test could potentially take place in October.

Doncic's Slovenian team begins its journey at the FIBA World Cup on August 26 against Venezuela.

The tournament's opening games took place on August 25 with the final set to be played on September 10. Japan, Indonesia, and the Philippines are joint hosts of the tournament this year.

Tags
Written by

Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the PGA Tour, LIV Golf, and all other happenings in the world of golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.