It’s a season of change for Luka Doncic, and not in the way he expected. Amid increasing signs of trouble between him and his fiencée, Anamaria Goltes, ESPN’s Dave McMenain confirmed that the two are separated. Now, he’s speaking out on it for the first time to set the record straight.
“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,” Doncic said in a statement provided to ESPN on Tuesday. “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.”
This news comes after the TMZ report that Anamaria had filed a petition seeking child support and attorney fees from Doncic. It was filed in California, despite the fact that one of his kids has never even been to the state. While Doncic is unaware of how Goltes filed the petition, sources made it clear that he always provides for his family.
“Sources familiar with Doncic’s situation added that Doncic, who signed a three-year, $165 million contract extension with the Lakers in August, has always provided for his family and pays for his daughters’ expenses ‘without limitation,'” McMenamin added.
This is the most clarity we’ve ever had on Luka’s home situation. While nobody’s entitled to the information, it clears up some misconceptions and shuts down wild fan theories, like the one that claimed Doncic left Goltes for Netflix star Madelyn Cline.
In reality, it appears that the couple had a falling out after an argument during one of his visits to Slovenia in December. The situation escalated to the point where Goltes called the police. The situation was documented by authorities, but no evidence of criminal wrongdoing was found against Luka.
“During Doncic’s visit, he expressed a desire to bring Gabriela back to the states with him when he was returning to join the team in Philadelphia to play the 76ers on Dec. 7. A disagreement with his then-fiancée ensued, and Goltes, 27, called the police,” McMenamin added.
Arguably, the saddest part of this whole thing is that Doncic hasn’t seen his daughters since that encounter, meaning that this breakup has cost more than his partner; it has cost him a closer relationship with his kids.
This all comes at an unfortunate time for Luka, who is still trying to make the most of his first full season in Los Angeles. The vibes are still fresh from his arrival, but personal scandals like this have a tendency to become major distractions. The important thing for Doncic is that he settles matters with Anamaria in a gentle manner, without making the situation worse than it already is. As long as he can separate his personal life from his performance on the court, there’s no reason it has to disrupt his normal flow and rhythm.
