The EuroBasket 2025 journey began with Slovenia standing tall among the favorites. Fans looked at Luka Dončić as the heartbeat of the team, carrying both their hopes and their pride. He had shaken off a knee scare from the preparation games and entered the tournament with bold optimism. “We’re hoping for the medal. We think we can win a medal. I know a lot of others don’t, but we believe in us,” Luka said confidently just recently. His words painted a picture of belief, even when doubt lingered around Slovenia’s chances. Yet, dreams have their fragile side, and Slovenia’s fell apart in dramatic fashion as they crashed out in the quarter finals. And what is Doncic’s fiancée’s reaction to this?

Amid the Slovenian team’s disappointment, Anamaria Goltes, Luka’s fiancée of two years, stepped quietly into the picture. She posted on her Instagram story, not with fresh words, but with a memory. Her story was a repost from a couple of weeks earlier, showing Luka and the entire Slovenian squad standing together, their faces full of fire and belief. The Basketball Federation of Slovenia’s post’s caption read, “Our #EuroBasket journey starts now! 🫵🏼”. She added nothing more to her story, no comment, no explanation. The silence around the story carried its own weight, contrasting the hopeful smiles with today’s painful reality. Was it empathy, or a subtle reminder of what they had fought for?

For Luka, this loss carries more than numbers on the stat sheet. Representing Slovenia has always been his pride. “Very excited to be here, always a pleasure to represent my country,” he said back in August about wearing the national jersey. That pride made every win sweeter, but every loss heavier.

The team’s quarterfinal clash against Germany on September 10 turned into heartbreak. Luka poured in 39 points, 10 rebounds, and 7 assists, but it still wasn’t enough. Slovenia led after the first quarter, only to see Germany slowly close the gap. A flurry of free throws and timely shots buried their chances late in the game. Their 99-91 loss left fans stunned, Luka devastated, and Slovenia’s dream of another EuroBasket medal ended too soon.

To fight so hard, score nearly 40 points, and still fall short must sting deeply. His fiancée’s quiet acknowledgment may have spoken to him in ways words could not, reminding him that dreams, even when broken, still matter.

Luka Doncic faced a painful exit as Slovenia’s coach speaks out on respect

Slovenia’s elimination from EuroBasket 2025 did not end quietly. Their head coach, Aleksander Sekulic, poured out his frustration after the loss to Germany, raising concerns about how his team was treated on the court. His words carried the weight of disappointment, but also pride. “First of all, congrats to Germany for advancing to the semifinals. I could start talking about things going on in the court from the first minute. Very strange things going on,” Sekulic began.

He made it clear that the pain came not only from losing but from how the game unfolded. Slovenia fought hard, yet Sekulic felt the players deserved more respect, pointing out how tough it was even with a superstar like Luka Doncic on the roster. “I know we have a great superstar, Luka, but the players around him—their effort—it’s not easy. I mean, it’s very hard. To be disrespected like we were today just hurts,” he explained. His tone reflected both defense of his team and anger at the circumstances surrounding their exit.

Still, beneath the frustration, the coach’s pride in his squad was undeniable. He insisted that they had shown heart and fought as equals against one of Europe’s strongest teams. “It is what it is. We lost. I’m proud of these guys, really,” he said. “If I could just bring all 12 of them here to give them a standing ovation, I would.” His words reminded everyone that this campaign was not just about results but about resilience.

Even after defeat, Sekulic stressed that Slovenia had proven something important against such a strong German team. “To outplay them throughout the whole game, that’s big,” he concluded. “Unfortunately, we were not successful. But I think we can leave this championship with our heads held high.” Even Doncic had something similar to say. In the end, his “PROUD!” remark highlights that Slovenia’s loss was not just about a scoreline, but about the respect the team believes it earned and was denied.