After enduring a frustrating 2025-2026 campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers, Luka Doncic’s next season was cut short by an unfortunate hamstring injury. Amid the uncertainty, Doncic reportedly left the United States to visit his hometown, Ljubljana in Slovenia, following a prior meeting with his club management and representatives. However, some Serbian news outlets have blown this way out of proportion.

A Slovenian news outlet named SportKlub reported on May 16, 2026, on how Serbian media schemed to interpret this story in a negative light and moved it to “the field of sensationalism and conjecture, and certain individuals then tried to transfer this kind of interpretation to the Slovenian media space.”

As per reports, Doncic’s ex-fiancée, Anamaria Goltes, made it legally difficult for him to see his daughters due to the ongoing legal custody battle. Hence, he wanted this trip to be an opportunity to meet with them. However, even with that legal and sentimental matter intact, some media outlets allegedly conveyed the story with a different narrative.

Although the publication didn’t explicitly point anyone out, the reason for this scheming could stem from the geopolitical tensions within these two nations, boiling over into the mediaspace. With that in mind, the outlet definitely ran some exposés around the NBA star’s media presence. The Lakers star, however, hasn’t officially responded to these reports as he is busy untangling his personal problems.

Luka Doncic and his attorney have reportedly filed a counter-motion in California seeking dismissal of the case, arguing that the NBA star’s children are from Slovenia and are not residents of California. Amid an increasingly complicated legal situation, Doncic is also expected to skip the upcoming FIBA World Cup qualifiers this summer, while continuing his recovery from the hamstring injury that disrupted his 2025-26 campaign ahead of the NBA’s 2026-27 season. 

Now, with the Los Angeles Lakers star set to miss the FIBA qualifiers, the Slovenian national team has already begun preparing its roster and plans without him.  

Slovenia National Team forms without Luka Doncic amid ongoing legal case

Addressing the dissatisfaction surrounding the ongoing legal case, Doncic publicly withdrew his participation from the Slovenian national team in an emotional message to his fans.

“I love my daughters more than anything, and they will always come first in my life,” Doncic wrote on his Instagram stories on May 12, 2026. “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.”

Well, it won’t be a stretch to say the Slovenian national team would miss the NBA star’s presence in their World Cup campaign, but the team is actually moving forward with individuals filled with talent. Under head coach Aleksander Sekulić, veteran shooting guard Klemen Prepelič and young prospect Žiga Samar are expected to lead the team with full force.

That said, with Luka Doncic actually facing legal trouble that spans across two different countries, naturally, he would take some time away to properly sort it out. What remains an interesting question is whether he could bring back the energy when he finally returns for the NBA season.