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Lakers Star Luka Doncic Shares 'Important' Message on Daughter’s Birth

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic addressed his daughter's birth in the wake of a major NBA ruling.
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

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Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic's family life has become a big story in the second half of this NBA season.

On March 10, news broke that Doncic's ex-fiancée, Anamaria Goltes, had filed a petition seeking child support for the couple’s two minor children. In addition, documents obtained by TMZ Sports in the wake of this news showed that Goltes was also requesting attorney fees as part of the legal process to handle this petition.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) | William Liang-Imagn Images

Doncic's daughters both live in Slovenia with Goltes. And in December, Luka spent time away from the Lakers to return to Slovenia and be there for his second daughter's birth.

On March 18, The Daily Mail reported that Luka, "reportedly begged Goltes to allow Gabriela to return to California with him" when he made this visit to Slovenia while they were at the hospital after their daughter was born.

Goltes declined Luka's request. And according to the report, "the conversation turned ugly, and police were called" afterwards, although no criminal offense was detected by police, and Luka was fully compliant.

Luka Doncic Sends Message About Daughter Amid NBA All-Pro Eligibility Verdict

On April 16, the NBA and NBPA voted to make both Luka and Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham eligible for all 2025-26 season honors, such as MVP and All-NBA teams, despite them not having played in the mandated minimum of 65 games.

Doncic played in 64 games for the Lakers this year and missed two because of his aforementioned trip to Slovenia. He cited this as part of his Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge, which was ultimately what was used to rule in his favor.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77)
Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic (77) | Alonzo Adams-Imagn Images

Doncic made an X post in the wake of this ruling that read, "I am grateful to the NBPA for advocating on my behalf and to the NBA for their fair decision. It was so important to me to be present for the birth of my daughter in December and I appreciate Mark, Jeanie, Rob, JJ, and the entire Lakers organization for fully supporting me and allowing me to travel to be there.

"This season has been so special to me because of what my teammates and I have been able to accomplish, and I am honored to have the opportunity to be considered for the league’s end-of-season awards," the post added.

It's clear that Doncic's daughters mean the world to him, and most would agree that the right decision was made, given that he would have played 66 games if he hadn't gone to Slovenia.

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Grant Young
GRANT YOUNG

Grant Young covers the Athlete Lifestyle, Women’s Basketball, the New York Mets, the Baltimore Orioles, the Chicago Cubs, and boxing for Sports Illustrated’s ‘On SI’ sites. He holds an MFA degree in creative writing from the University of San Francisco (USF), where he also graduated with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing and played on USF’s Division I baseball team for five years.