Mirjam Poterbin, Luka Doncic and the Mavs Family Way
Standing next to him, she stood out despite the height difference. It didn’t have to do with her youth or her resemblance to the man-child who was just drafted to the Dallas Mavericks the night before. Mirjam Poterbin, donning a slick pair of slacks the color of pearl and a sleeveless blouse that echoed her pants in tint and shade, stood out thanks to an iridescent presence that was all her own.
The smile she wore wasn’t forced or the sign of an immure accost – her son, her only child Luka Doncic – wanted to be in the city of Dallas, and it showed despite sitting in a cloud of nerves that day. She reflected that as she stood at his shoulder in front of the grayish-blue backdrop that sunny afternoon in June.
During this year’s NBA All-Star game, WFAA’s Jonah Javad got to go one-on-one with Poterbin as she was in Chicago, witnessing her son starting his first All-Star Game. During the exclusive interview, Poterbin laughed as she recalled the basketball prodigy in his younger years.
“He was naughty sometimes,” she said to Javad about Luka. “Not naughty. He was just so energized. He didn’t sit for a minute.”
The city of Dallas is blessed to see countless flashes of that very same childlike wonder whenever he takes to the court, his chosen safe space. It’s clear that the bond between mother and child is stalwart and it was apparent the second she walked the introductory press conference with her son back in 2018.
It was Poterbin who raised the wunderkind after she and his father, Sasa Doncic, divorced when Luka was a mere 9 years old. It was Poterbin who supported his dream of making it into the NBA. It was Poterbin who supported her son’s move from Slovenia to Spain in order to play for the Real Madrid basketball club at the delicate age of 13. It was Porterbin who openly wept on her flight back to Slovenia after leaving him in Spain. It was Porterbin who moved to Spain shortly afterward in order to be with her son every step of the way.
It was Poterbin who was his rock then and is still his rock now.
“Honestly, I was never thinking about [his future in basketball] because, as his mom, what was so important to me was to see him happy and his dreams come true,” she told EuroHoops during an exclusive interview. “I also think Luka was never thinking about how far he could go either. He was just happy that he was playing basketball and that was the most important thing.”
Nothing is as auspicious as a mother’s love and it’s clearly one of the driving forces behind Luka’s magic. With her by his side, anything seems possible – and that’s including the idea that Luka might make Dallas his only NBA home.
“I’m honestly pretty sure it’s going to be long-term,” Porterbin told Javad. “Yeah, he feels great there, so he wants to stay for sure.”
Porterbin also showed Javad a personal glimpse into Luka’s world, which is basically that of a simple 20-year-old young man. “He likes to hang out with friends and play video games. He’s a dog lover. Even when he was a kid, he was a big dog lover.” (Anyone who follows Luka on Instagram is constantly blessed with his stories revolving around his two beloved pups).
Doncic and the Mavericks are looking to continue their dominance in their quest for the postseason. Currently, they’re sitting seventh in the Western Conference and are fighting for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs. This is not out of the realm of possibility since they have the eighth-easiest schedule in the West, they just need to stay healthy and not, well, overthink it.
Down this stretch, we’re sure to see a great deal of Dallas’ designated “First Mom” Poterbin as she cheers on her son, wearing that million-dollar smile and the love that radiates from every pore of her entire being.
