Ljubljana - Ahead of the new NBA season, Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić has announced a new project that will excite his fan base. He has released metahuman Luk.AI, a virtual version of himself, that will be able to interact, exercise and play with users via TikTok, the American sports portal ESPN has reported.

"He looks like me, talks like me and has his own personality. But I'm still better looking than him," Dončić quipped, confident that Luk.AI will help boost his fan base engagement.

The metahuman was constructed by the Epic AI platform using Unreal Engine 5 technology, with the company describing the project as a "self-learning artificial intelligence capable of emotional, physical, and technological growth".

"Fans can get to know him and help to make him smarter by engaging with him," Dončić told ESPN, adding they can also help train him. "He'll reply to their comments, listen to their ideas and create videos with them, too."

An enthusiastic gamer, Dončić is interested in technology and its impact. The project aims to help step up the work of his foundation, encouraging children to pick up the ball and get active, as well as partner with Dallas Mavericks owner Marc Cuban's boot camps to help teach children about AI technology.

"Doncic will be the first athlete with a metahuman that will grow as his interactions with fans increase. The only other athlete to utilize the same technology was Tennis Hall of Famer John McEnroe," ESPN noted on Thursday.

The NBA star had a busy summer, competing for Slovenia in this year's EuroBasket. Despite a promising start, where the 23-year-old wowed the basketball community with his record-breaking performances, Slovenia, the previous EuroBasket champion, had to concede to Poland in the quarter-finals in what was one of the many surprises of the competition.

"I learned a lot from the tournament. There were a lot of good teams and players. I learned how to be a leader, how to help others, how to behave and how not to behave. As a leader, I learned a lot of things," he said.

Touching on the 2022-2023 NBA season, Dončić would want to make it to the playoffs again. "Before the start of the season, I always say that the goal is to win the NBA championship," he said, adding that he and other Mavs players will have to simply play the ball and have fun.