Several weeks ago, the Dallas Mavericks shocked the NBA world by trading 25-year-old superstar Luka Dončić to the Los Angeles Lakers for Anthony Davis and other assets.
This trade sent shockwaves through the league, and it may go down as one of the most shocking moves in sports history.
With this trade, Dončić isn’t the only one headed to Los Angeles. His fiancée, Anamaria Goltes, traveled there with him. Here’s a look at Goltes’ career, her relationship timeline, and more.
Who Is Luka Dončić’s Fiancée, Anamaria Goltes?
Goltes is a 26-year-old from Zagorje ob Savi, Slovenia. She’s Dončic’s fiancée and mother to their only child, Gabriela Dončić, who was born in late 2023.
After high school, Goltes attended the University of Ljubljana, Slovenia’s oldest and largest college. There, she studied at the School of Economics and Business.
When Dončić began playing for the Mavericks, she continued her studies virtually, submitting classwork early in the morning to account for the time difference.
Goltes is a model and influencer. She began modeling in 2017 for Lisca Lingerie. Subsequently, she signed with Immortal Models Management and appeared in campaigns for Slovenian jeweler Zlatarna Celje, who was on the cover of Cosmopolitan Slovenia.
She launched a fashion blog in October 2021 and mentioned the idea of designing a workout clothing line about a year earlier, in July 2020. However, there have been no updates on this project.
In addition to their daughter, the couple has three dogs: Hugo (a Pomeranian), Gia (a White Swiss Shepherd), and Viki (a large breed).
“I love that I get to spend some time with Luka, Hugo, and Gia in the quarantine,” she said in an Instagram Story Q&A. “We don’t get to spend that many days together because we are always working on our individual things. So being able to spend time together feels very good.”
They’ve both worked within Dončić’s charitable foundation, including in December 2022, when Dončić was unable to attend an event at a Slovenian children’s hospital, so Goltes attended in his place.
“I hope this puts a smile on their faces and cheers them up. They are brave and strong, so I want them to know that I am thinking of them during the holidays and that I want them to return to their homes as soon as possible,” she said to Cosmopolitan SI.
Dončić and Goltes’ Relationship Timeline
Dončić and Goltes had known each other since childhood when they first met in Croatia.
Dončić and Goltes, both from Slovenia, have known each other since childhood and started dating in 2016.
“I answered this question like a million times. We met when we were 12 years old at the seaside in Croatia,” she said to the New York Post. “Fun fact: We still have the same group of friends we had at that time. You keep the real ones, am I right?”
“People have [a] best friend, boyfriend, true love. I’m lucky they are all the same person,” Goltes wrote on Instagram in 2018.
Dončić proposed to Goltes in Slovenia on July 7, 2023. It’s unconfirmed, but it’s fair to speculate this could have something to do with the No. 77 he wears.
The two had their only child, Gabriela, in early December 2023 and haven’t married as of February 2025.
Dončić Using Dallas’ Weight and Conditioning Criticism As Motivation
On the morning ahead of Dončić’s first game against the Mavericks, ESPN revealed that, according to an inside source, Dončić is using leaks from within the Dallas organization that they sent him packing due to concerns about his weight and work ethic as motivation. So, it’s safe to assume he’s had this matchup circled on his calendar since the trade.
Whether the reports of his poor conditioning and work ethic while in Dallas held any validity or not doesn’t much matter now, as the newest LA celebrity is putting those narratives to bed now that he’s a Laker.
“A beast was awakened inside him,” according to ESPN’s source. That beast reportedly pushed Dončić to work on his game at an outdoor court with Lakers assistant coach Scott Brooks and work out at his hotel gym while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas during the recent NBA All-Star break — habits that, if you believe the Mavericks’ leaks, were rare at best during his time in Dallas.
As for what the leaks specifically said, it was also ESPN that brought them to light when the trade first broke.
“The Mavericks were motivated to move Dončić because of his constant conditioning concerns, sources told [Tim] MacMahon,” Dave McMenamin wrote. “There had been significant frustration within the organization about Dončić’s lack of discipline regarding his diet and conditioning, which team sources considered a major factor in his injury issues.”
Regarding how that internal beast has influenced his form on the court, Dončić took a few games to find his feet with the Lakers, averaging just 14.7 points, 6.7 rebounds, and 5.3 assists over his first three games in the purple and gold. Now, it’s worth noting those were his first outings since returning from a calf injury sustained back in December, and he was on a minutes restriction for the first two.
Nevertheless, Dončić found his footing in a Feb. 22 matchup against the Denver Nuggets, leading the Lakers to a 123-100 win while stuffing the stat sheet with 32 points, 10 boards, seven assists, four steals, and a block. Alongside him, LeBron James poured in 25 points, nine rebounds, five assists, three blocks, and a steal, effectively quelling any doubts that the duo could perform as a tandem.
Unfortunately for those fans in it for the drama, the marquee bout between the new-look Lakers and Mavericks won’t feature Anthony Davis, who went down with an adductor injury in his otherwise stellar debut with his new team. Davis’ next chance to take on his former team comes April 9 in Dallas.
