Luka Doncic says custody battle led him to skip Slovenia this summer

Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic said he will forgo playing with the Slovenian national team to focus on his daughters as he’s been locked in a custody battle with his former fiancé Anamaria Goltes.

Doncic said in a post on Instagram early Tuesday that he will take the summer to spend time with them.

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“I love my daughters more than anything, and they will always come first in my life,” a message posted to his Instagram Stories read. “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.

“I have given everything to representing Slovenia and I am disappointed that I will not be able to play for my country this summer. But right now, my daughters and my responsibilities as a father are my priority.”

Doncic said earlier this year he ended his engagement with Goltes because he was unable to have his daughters with him for the season in the U.S.

They became engaged in July 2023, and their daughters were born in November 2023 and December 2025, when Doncic left the Lakers to travel to Slovenia when his younger daughter was born.

Goltes filed a petition for child support and attorneys’ fees in California, TMZ Sports previously reported.

“I love my daughters more than anything, and I’ve been doing everything I can for them to be with me in the U.S. during the season, but that hasn’t been possible, so I recently made the tough decision to end my engagement,” he told ESPN in March.

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“Everything I do is for my daughters’ happiness, and I will always fight to be with them and give them the best life I can.”

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.