Luka Doncic’s season has ended: the Slovenian tried to speed up his recovery from his left hamstring strain in Spain hoping to make it to the NBA Conference finals, but Los Angeles Lakers were swept by Oklahoma City Thunder 4-0. Next for Doncic would have been the FIBA World Cup 2027 qualifiers for Slovenia, but he has decided to skip them to focus on his personal affairs.
Doncic is separating from his fiancée, Anamaria Goltes, and is involved in a battle for the custody of their two daughters, Gabriela (three years old) and Olivia (six months old). “I love my daughters more than anything, and they will always come first in my life”, Doncic started on Instagram.
“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”.
Luka Doncic helped Slovenia win an EuroBasket title in 2017 when he was only 17 and was the top scorer of the 2023 World Cup, where Slovenia finished seventh. The 2027 edition of the FIBA basketball World Cup takes place in Qatar, and qualifiers are already in place, in six windows between November 2025 and March 2027. There will be two in the summer, between June 27-July 7 and August 24-September 1; Slovenia currently leads in Group H with 3 wins and 1 loss.
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