Maljković visited Dragić in Phoenix, where Slovenia's biggest NBA star has been the leading scorer with an average of 14.1 points this season.

"I am very much looking forward to the EuroBasket at home...I can hardly wait for it to begin," Dragić has commented.

The Slovenian team is scheduled to gather for training camp on 19 July. It is due to play 12 warm-up games ahead of the 4 September opening match.