Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers speaks to the media during a press conference after Game Four of the Second Round of the NBA Western Conference Playoffs against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena
Luka Dončić.
Luka Dončić is skipping the FIBA World Cup this summer
The Lakers star will instead spend time with his two young daughters, he wrote on Instagram
Dončić has been involved in a custody battle with his ex-fiancée Anamaria Goltes since March
One day after being swept in the playoffs, Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Dončić is planning his summer — and it doesn’t include playing basketball.
Dončić will not play with the Slovenian national team in the FIBA World Cup and has opted to spend time with his two young daughters amid his ongoing custody battle with ex-fiancée Anamaria Goltes, he shared in an Instagram Stories post on Tuesday, May 12.
“I love my daughters more than anything, and they will always come first in my life,” Dončić, 27, wrote. “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.”
He continued, “Unfortunately, it has been made extremely difficult for me to see them over the past eight months.”
Luka Doncic of Slovenia competes with Daniel Theis of Germany during the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Quarter-Finals match between Germany and Slovenia at Xiaomi Arena in Riga, Latvia, on September 10, 2025
Luka Doncic of Slovenia competes with Daniel Theis of Germany during the FIBA EuroBasket 2025 Quarter-Finals match between Germany and Slovenia at Xiaomi Arena in Riga, Latvia, on September 10, 2025
The NBA star’s announcement comes two months after he confirmed to ESPN that he had “made the tough decision” to end his engagement to Goltes, 28.
"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," Dončić said in March. "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."
Prior to Dončić's announcement, Goltes filed a petition seeking child support in a California court, according to documents reviewed by PEOPLE. In the petition, Goltes seeks attorney's fees and an unspecified sum in child support. Dončić shares Gabriela, 3, and Olivia, 5 months, with Goltes.
Since then, the Lakers guard suffered a hamstring injury in April that sidelined him for the playoffs. It was uncertain if he would have returned to play had the Lakers advanced out of the second round.
Dončić first joined the Slovenian national team in 2016 at the age of 17.
He has played every summer for his native country except in 2018 when he missed two games after the team that had just drafted him, the Dallas Mavericks, suggested he rest.
On Tuesday, hours after the Lakers dropped the second-round series to the Oklahoma City Thunder, Dončić shared his disappointment — and made clear his priorities.
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“I have given everything to representing Slovenia and I am disappointed that I will not be able to play for my country this summer,” he wrote. “But right now, my daughters and my responsibilities as a father are my priority.”