Los Angeles Lakers star Luke Doncic will not play for the Slovenian national team this summer, instead prioritizing his daughters.
Doncic is the father of 3-year-old Gabriela and 5-month-old Olivia. Their mother is his ex-fiancee, Anamaria Goltes, with whom he is fighting over custody of the girls. Doncic announced their split in March.
He announced his summer plans via Instagram after the Lakers' season ended Monday night with a playoff loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
"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.
"Unfortunately, it has been made extremely difficult for me to see them over the past eight months."
Goltes lives in Europe. Still, she filed a petition for child support and attorney's fees in Los Angeles, and Slovenian courts also are expected to be involved.
Now 27, Doncic has played for his national team since age 16. He led Slovenia in the 2020 Olympics with 28.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 7.0 assists. The team did not advance out of pool play.
In the NBA, the Lakers were swept in the Western Conference semifinals by the Thunder. They defeated the Houston Rockets in the opening round.
Doncic missed both series after suffering a serious left-hamstring strain on April 2. He led the NBA in scoring this season with 33.5 points per game and shot 36.6% from long range. Injuries limited him to 64 games.
--Field Level Media
