Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic will not represent Slovenia in international competition this offseason, instead focusing on a personal custody battle involving his two daughters.
Doncic is the father of 3-year-old Gabriela and 5-month-old Olivia, whose mother is his former fiancée, Anamaria Goltes. The couple announced their separation in March, and Doncic is currently fighting for joint custody. He announced his summer decision on Instagram shortly after the Lakers were eliminated from the NBA playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night.
“I love my daughters more than anything, and they will always come first in my life. As I continue working toward joint custody of my daughters, I have been forced to make a difficult decision between traveling and playing for the Slovenian national team and being with my daughters this summer,” Doncic wrote. “Unfortunately, it has been made extremely difficult for me to see them over the past eight months.”
Goltes resides in Europe, but she has filed a petition for child support and attorney’s fees in Los Angeles. Slovenian courts are also expected to be involved in the proceedings.
At 27 years old, Doncic has played for Slovenia since he was 16. He averaged 28.3 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 7.0 assists during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, but the team failed to advance past pool play.
In the NBA, the Lakers were swept by the Thunder in the Western Conference semifinals after eliminating the Houston Rockets in the first round. Doncic missed both playoff series due to a serious left hamstring strain suffered on April 2. He led the league in scoring this season with 33.5 points per game and shot 36.6% from three-point range, though injuries limited him to 64 games.
