Los Angeles Lakers star guard Luka Dončić has filed a petition under international rules to have his daughters brought to the United States from Slovenia, according to a source briefed on the situation. The source spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss an ongoing legal matter.

“Nothing is more important to me than my daughters,” Dončić said in a statement to The Athletic. “I will do whatever it takes to make sure they have both parents present in their lives.”

Dončić’s children, Gabriela and Olivia, are currently in Slovenia, where he’s in an ongoing custody battle with his former fiancée, Anamaria Goltes. The two were engaged in 2023 and had dated since 2016. Dončić lives in Slovenia in the offseason. The source said that the petition was filed in Slovenia, and can’t be made public under local laws.

The Athletic has attempted to reach Goltes for comment through her attorney, and will update this story if he responds.

Goltes had filed for child support and legal fees in in Los Angeles last March but later withdrew the petition.

Dončić didn’t participate in any international play with Slovenia this summer due to the custody situation.

Dončić had hoped to resolve the situation with Goltes by Sept. 25, but the deadline passed without resolution with her or the Slovenian courts. He returned to the United States last week ahead of Lakers training camp, with no guarantees of when he’d be able to see either of his daughters again during the NBA season, the source said.

Source: https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7652552/2026/10/02/luka-doncic-daughters-fiancee-petition/

iBaires | LAL

21 | an hour ago

Someone get Jon Anik in as a guest commentator at a Lakers game this season

Frodounchainedd | LAL

7 | an hour ago

“That crossover was nasty as was was his recent divorce take it away dc”

MrFishAndLoaves | NOP

3 | 34 minutes ago

Can I just say Ant would never

mayorolivia

222 | an hour ago

Not a fan of media covering this. I get it but would prefer they don’t.

Kurrency_

21 | an hour ago

This sub loves to talk about baby mama drama. Why is this different?

Whatsth3dill | POR

64 | an hour ago

You’re responding to an individual and blaming him for the actions of the subreddit. There is no reason to believe that they support the other instances coming up either

fastheadcrab | TOR

1 | 24 minutes ago

So pedantic. The implicit point is that lots of people care about this topic, so the media covers it

HoldEm__FoldEm | West

-28 | an hour ago

That’s why he’s asking.

Do you understand the concept of a question?

Edit: soo… no, then? I appreciate people admitting their struggle with following logic.

Y’all arguing with a man for not understanding the “why” of a question asked, while he is simultaneously asking for clarity on the very same “why.”

Y’all are truly special. Please continue on…

RollGata

21 | 42 minutes ago

Are you having a separate conversation in your own head? Why did you edit your comment to include a response to no one’s comment? You edited your own post after like 2 minutes, someone has a problem

Whatsth3dill | POR

0 | 42 minutes ago

Also, it’s being covered in the sub, so its not different, so the why question doesn’t make sense in general

StepOnMeNangong | WAS

1 | 29 minutes ago

I think neither are related to basketball and as such, neither should be posted here, but a bunch of dudes here like gossiping more than they like watching basketball

HalcyonDrift | MIA

6 | an hour ago

Hell nawl

Pal__Pacino | LAL

1 | 6 minutes ago

Not that his ex is at fault, but I think there’s a slight difference between wanting custody of your kids and wanting nothing to do with them.

HoldEm__FoldEm | West

-12 | an hour ago

Op downvoted me near-instantly after I asked essentially the same question 😂

Edit: pearl clutch away…

SharksFanAbroad | GSW

5 | 36 minutes ago

How do you know it was OP?

zack77070 | HOU

6 | an hour ago

Caring about downvotes in an imaginary system

HoldEm__FoldEm | West

-8 | 39 minutes ago

Please, point out to where I complained about downvotes. Or where I complained at all.

Do you know what laughing is? Or did you miss the emoticon entirely?? It’s their attitude & response that I find funny.

People getting bitchy when you ask them a question, and also when they assume your emotional state thru text, and then even one step further, when they assume that emotional state wrong after you actually already put that very state in the text, is a great sign you’re talking to a moron.

🤷🏻‍♂️

DrPuzzle

9 | an hour ago

You know I’ve been thinking about this a little bit today and I kind of came to the conclusion that while I don’t think Luka wants this in the media at all, I do think he welcomes when media people ask his comments on it because I think in a way he does want to put some pressure on his ex (make her feel like crap for not letting him have more access to the girls) because she’s making things really difficult for him and I feel bad.

Dude just wants his kids and she knows she can make it hard on him because he’s in LA

Also not crapping on her. She’s their mother at the end of the day but it’s kind of a unique situation here because this isn’t just a standard “I’m going to blast my ex for cheating” type shit that we typically see play out in the media. What we’re seeing is a guy fighting for his kids

LeagueWinningPickup | TOR

32 | an hour ago

I mean I think we can put ourselves in her shoes as well. What mom living happily in Slovenia wants her daughters regularly flying to LA, where they are likely going to be watched by a nanny or something while Luka plays ball? Is she really a villian here?

DrPuzzle

6 | 41 minutes ago

No that’s why I say I’m not trying to paint her as a villain or anything. She’s their mom. Just like he’s their dad. But he’s the one that ultimately suffers in this instance because it does appear that she’s intentionally going out of her way to some degree to make this difficult on him. Like it’s not just a money play. Knowing what he does and where he has to live through the season, etc. he’s also an active dad so it’s not like he’s some deadbeat who doesn’t care

I don’t know why the relationship ended but I do know what we’re seeing play out type of thing. I feel bad for him all things considered

HoldEm__FoldEm | West

-2 | an hour ago

Just because it’s Luka? Or would you prefer they never cover people’s custody battles?

Something like this could certainly affect his play during the season so I understand why they report on it.

mayorolivia

14 | an hour ago

Don’t care about Luka. More so sensitive family matters involving young kids. Not blaming OP or NYT.

HumongousBelly

1 | 20 minutes ago

Same here. Leave kids out of it, at least until they get drafted or become 3 star prospects like bronny

HoldEm__FoldEm | West

-14 | an hour ago

lol ok

Whatsth3dill | POR

14 | 44 minutes ago

They answered your question and said they dont think anything revolving kids this young should be covered. Was that not enough for you?

Wise-Philosophy6247 | IND

1 | 4 minutes ago

“Lol ok” - u/HoldEm_FoldEm

Truly riveting stuff.

Ok-Butterfly2994

2 | an hour ago

I don’t think it’s bad for it to be covered necessarily, but the excessive updates each time either of them does anything in their custody battle seem to be a lot. every time a post is made like this it also just ends up being a place for everyone on here to shit on his ex.

HoldEm__FoldEm | West

-3 | an hour ago

Welcome to the internet.

What are we even doing here?

LeagueWinningPickup | TOR

22 | an hour ago

I think he’s probably up against this one. As someone who fought a long custody battle, his career will be used against him. He’s just not available enough to get ⁵⁰⁄₅₀ or something like that.

10001110101balls

1 | 26 minutes ago

It also gives him a whole off-season to accommodate a split custody arrangement.

KartFacedThaoDien | West

32 | an hour ago

I’ve got a lot of sports hate for Luka. But I hope he can see his daughters.

HoldEm__FoldEm | West

-9 | an hour ago

I assumed most “West” flairs currently were bitter Lakers fans after the sale & new owners. Like me.

But I doubt that’s you after your comment. Do you not have a team?

KartFacedThaoDien | West

5 | an hour ago

Not really. A bit of a Thunder fan. I’d never wanna see a player who isn’t a complete piece of trash not see his kids.

[deleted]

2 | 35 minutes ago

[deleted]

Chemical_Coach_6756

1 | 43 minutes ago

Or course you’re a thunder fan 😭

walterdog12 | BOS

1 | 30 minutes ago

“Nothing is more important to me than my daughters,” Dončić said in a statement to The Athletic. “I will do whatever it takes to make sure they have both parents present in their lives.”

This is just gonna get messy.

The ex-fiancée wants to stay in Slovenia.

Luka for potentially 8-9 months a year has to frequently travel and commit to the NBA season.

Seems like the only solutions to this are either Luka is absent and spends 2-3 months every year with his kids during the offseason, or he pays an insane amount of money to convince his ex-fiancée to move back to the US that makes her overlook leaving family and her support system.

mydicksmellsgood | SAS

1 | 15 minutes ago

He could retire. He won’t, but he could. He has made enough money to afford to.

MindlessStrength1453

55 | an hour ago

Lost the finals, lost MVP, lost his team, lost his girlfriend, lost his kids, what else can he lose?

stefx99 | BOS

72 | an hour ago

Lost weight.

Drew602 | PHX

12 | an hour ago

His hairline

pokerawz | LAL

18 | an hour ago

Lost the weight too

Sharp-Selection-3541

15 | an hour ago

LeBron

HoldEm__FoldEm | West

1 | 33 minutes ago

For his playstyle, losing old Bron is a plus.

Keep that ball in Luka’s hands.

Bring on the hate 🤗🤗

Crying_in_99Ranch | NBA

4 | 36 minutes ago

Lost his new house he just bought in Dallas right before the trade

prettymuthafucka | WAS

1 | 14 minutes ago

Real loser comment

Alexcox95 | MIA

5 | an hour ago

His pride

Ok_Daikon_7726 | LAL

1 | 26 minutes ago

But that’s the one thing a Saiyan never loses

Preskomesko12345

2 | an hour ago

Lose weight

Whatsth3dill | POR

3 | 43 minutes ago

Yeah I understand a question, but you have to aim it somewhere it makes sense. The original comment said nothing about other people, so it made no sense to ask as a response. And I didnt downvote you, so your edit makes no sense

Pilkyton1

1 | 13 minutes ago

Yeah sorry but it’s just common sense that those kids aren’t gonna have a better childhood in LA than in Slovenia with their mom and all their other family

goknicks23

1 | 11 minutes ago

He’s not winning that petition. A traveling professional athlete versus a stay at home mom, which is the better environment for children? Good luck

lilkhalessi | IND

8 | 34 minutes ago

Guy has a packed schedule and the girls’ mother is obviously their primary caretaker. She is not American and has no family here but he wants to make her move back so he can barely see his kids on American soil instead of barely seeing them on Slovenian soil?

Idk feels a little selfish to me

Big_Wooly_Mammoth

6 | an hour ago

He’s worth over $200 mil. The real question is whether his kids are more important to him then another $200 mil. I mean how many nannies will he hire to take care of them while he is travelling from city to city during the NBA season? Sometimes your kids are more important then your job and the fact his wife is not from America( he isn’t either) and all their family is not in America. It makes this situation that much harder to deal with. No clue how this works out good for the kids with all this world travel etc. Feel for the dude… but damn NBA is not more important then his 2 daughters. He could still make bank playing in Europe if he chose to and I would respect the shit out of him if he did. Best case is he gets his daughters in the off season and she gets them during the season. Tough spot to be in.

LeagueWinningPickup | TOR

15 | 41 minutes ago

I think it would be really, really tough to argue it’s in the kids best interests to be spending time in LA during the regular season. It sounds like he does see them alot in the off season, which is actually a pretty standard parenting setup when people live in different cities. The kids need stability.

Ok-Butterfly2994

11 | 43 minutes ago

yeah, i don’t really know how this works out logistically with his job and international status. its sad when anyone can’t see their kids, but i don’t see how it’s in the children’s best interest to be raised by a nanny in the US most of the time instead of by their mother. its a difficult situation.

HoldEm__FoldEm | West

1 | 29 minutes ago

The real question is whether his kids are more important to him

than

another $200 mil.

So, you didn’t read his statement before commenting?

He stated himself, in his own big-boy words, that his daughters are more important to him than basketball, that nothing is more important than his daughters. So, I don’t understand why you bit on this point out of all of them, for your comment.

lilkhalessi | IND

1 | 26 minutes ago

By choosing to remain in the NBA/USA those words don’t really mean anything.

LeagueWinningPickup | TOR

1 | 21 minutes ago

Ya I don’t really think he meant it literally, and you can argue him being away a bit and securing generational wealth does benefit them in the long run.

But lets be real here, regular joes fighting custody battles often have to give up ALL of their money in order to get the result they want and often have to give up promotion or job roles to fit into the parenting schedule.

samhit_n | LAL

2 | an hour ago

Luka might be the favorite to win the MVP because of this drama fueling him.

Superlolz

5 | 37 minutes ago

Yeah you have kids? You ever have the looming threat of not seeing them for months at a time because of a custody battle? Were you good at your job in that time?

imposibol | LAL

1 | 26 minutes ago

When Luka came back from the birth of his second daughter he played like shit for a while. Then we found out baby momma called the police on him when he was there. Not everyone can be Kobe (dropped 40 pt games on court days) but we’ll see.

Zephrok | LAL

1 | 27 minutes ago

Idk that this is a good kind of fuel

InTheBinFC | NBA

1 | 28 minutes ago

I’m ngl this was stupid from the beginning to the end.

Green-Discussion74

1 | 3 minutes ago

this is the type of shit that affects player performance much more than people realize

AlphaGodEJ | CHI

4 | an hour ago

lol you think his baby mama is gonna give up those paychecks?

preddevils6 | MEM

5 | 35 minutes ago

You think he’s going to move to be closer to the kids if he loses?

[deleted]

0 | an hour ago

In all fairness this really isn’t our business.

garfcarmpbll

20 | an hour ago

In all fairness this really isn’t our business.

Icy-Whale-2253

0 | an hour ago

I usually say that but he was the one that volunteered it to the media. He could’ve said it’s a personal matter and everybody could’ve left it alone. It’s a shame two innocent babies have to be involved.

[deleted]

-6 | an hour ago

[deleted]

Senor_Pug | NOP

3 | an hour ago

You would rather him move back to Europe and turn down NBA money that his kids and grandkids will most likely inherit than at least try to keep them close to him? His daughter’s will have so many options in life by him playing in the NBA than him being in the euroleague just by the difference in money.

Icy-Mortgage8742 | GSW

2 | an hour ago

I mean you can care about your career and your family and it seems like he’s doing everything he can to ensure he’s a present parents beyond giving his kids money. Seeing as his family’s lifestyle is built around his career and he was already an NBA player prior to his engagement and fatherhood, I don’t think it’s unreasonable for his family to be in Slovenia in the offseason and Los Angeles during the season.

itsme32

1 | an hour ago

This has already been posted.

lets_talk_basketball

1 | 27 minutes ago

I thought if you take a kid out the country w/o the other parents permission that’s kidnapping?

693275001

-2 | 43 minutes ago

Luka’s peers stacking accolades and he fighting for his kids lmao

OVO-Jireh

-9 | an hour ago

My goat would never have embarrassing family drama like this. Just another stain on Luka’s legacy

Chemical_Coach_6756

3 | 42 minutes ago

Lmao what are you talking about

Overkillemall | PHI

-3 | an hour ago

Luka, just call Pelinka and make him have a tea with this chick, she ll trade both daughters for Jake Laravia, two second-round Jeanie Buss nudes and Austin Reaves’ headband

Interesting_Prune513 | MIA

-3 | an hour ago

WearyCopy5686

-26 | an hour ago

Hopefully he loses that custody battle

Dense-Discussion3951 | MIN

10 | an hour ago

Why?

WearyCopy5686

-19 | an hour ago

I am a hater

BobbyHigginson | DET

11 | an hour ago

*piece of shit

WearyCopy5686

-16 | an hour ago

So you go around calling Black people pieces of shit?

James1Vincent

9 | an hour ago

What a strange thing to say. Why would you want children to not see their father?

Guardsred70 | LAL

8 | an hour ago

Because that person is a jackass.

Icy-Whale-2253

5 | an hour ago

Reddit when children have a father who wants to be in their life

[Woike] Luka Dončić petitions to bring daughters to United States amid ongoing custody battle