Luka Doncic spent last season carrying the Los Angeles Lakers on the court while struggling with something far more personal away from it.
The Lakers superstar, who led the NBA in scoring and finished fourth in MVP voting, revealed how deeply his ongoing custody dispute with former fiancée Anamaria Goltes affected him during the 2025-26 season.
In a revealing Sports Illustrated cover story by Chris Mannix, Doncic opened up about being separated from his two young daughters for much of the season.
“It made everything about last season so hard,” Doncic told Mannix.
The 27-year-old rarely discusses his personal life publicly. But with another NBA season approaching and his family situation still unresolved, Doncic acknowledged the emotional toll of spending months away from his children.
“You want to be around your kids every day,” Doncic said. “I saw mine, what, four or five days? It’s impossible to do.”
Luka Doncic Reveals Painful Reality of Family Separation
The dispute intensified last December when Doncic returned to Slovenia for the birth of his second daughter, Olivia.
According to Sports Illustrated, Doncic asked Goltes whether he could bring their older daughter, Gabriela, back to the United States. A verbal disagreement followed, and police were later called to Kranj Maternity Hospital after Doncic had left.
Doncic returned to Los Angeles and rejoined the Lakers but did not see his daughters again until April.
The couple subsequently ended their engagement.
Asked by Mannix whether the situation had been resolved, Doncic paused before offering a cautious response.
“Hopefully,” he said. “We still don’t know, but hopefully. I can’t go through another season like that.”
His comments came as the custody dispute entered another legal chapter.
Doncic Takes New Legal Action to Reunite With Daughters
According to Dan Woike of The Athletic, Doncic filed a petition in Slovenia under the Hague Convention seeking to bring his daughters to the United States during the NBA season.
The development was first reported Oct. 2, less than a week before Sports Illustrated published Mannix’s interview.
“Nothing is more important to me than my daughters,” Doncic said in a statement to The Athletic. “I will do whatever it takes to make sure they have both parents present in their lives.”
Doncic reportedly hoped to reach an agreement by Sept. 25, but that date passed without a resolution.
Goltes previously filed a child support petition in California in March before requesting its dismissal in August, expressing a desire to resolve the matter amicably in their children’s best interests.
That request did not settle the broader custody dispute.
Doncic spent the summer in Slovenia with his daughters, choosing to skip national team commitments. He also hosted a four-day Lakers minicamp in Ljubljana, allowing him to build chemistry with teammates while remaining close to his family.
However, he returned to Los Angeles for training camp without his daughters, who remain in Slovenia with their mother.
Lakers Star Faces New Season With Uncertainty
The family situation adds another layer to a pivotal season for Doncic.
With LeBron James now playing for the Philadelphia 76ers, Doncic has become the unquestioned centerpiece of the Lakers’ championship ambitions.
Los Angeles reshaped its roster around him this summer, adding Walker Kessler, Quentin Grimes and Collin Sexton while retaining Austin Reaves.
Doncic is coming off a season in which he averaged 33.5 points before a hamstring injury ended his playoff hopes.
The Lakers need him healthy as they begin a new chapter without James.
But for Doncic, the biggest question entering the season has little to do with basketball.
After enduring months away from his daughters, he is hoping the coming year brings a different outcome for his family.
Luka Doncic Makes Heartbreaking Admission Amid Ongoing Custody Battle