The Los Angeles Lakers got a two-fold bargain with NBA megastar Luka Doncic, first by acquiring him in a blockbuster trade in February and now by signing him to a lucrative extension six months later.
On Saturday, the Lakers reportedly signed Doncic to a max contract for three years and $165 million. The deal keeps him in L.A. through the end of his 20s and potentially the end of LeBron James’ time with the team.
“I just signed my extension with the Lakers. Excited to keep working to bring championships to LA and make Laker Nation proud. Grateful to the Lakers, my teammates and all the fans who’ve shown so much love since day one. This is just the beginning,” he proudly announced this morning.
“Today I’m also committing $5 million to help 77 young athletes around the world chase their dreams, just like I did. Basketball gave me everything, and I’m lucky to be able to give back and help the next generation.”
A happy family
Though he was already a wealthy man, the contract ensures that Doncic will have generational wealth to support both his fiancée Anamaria Goltes and their two-year-old daughter Gabriela.
Doncic and Goltes have been inseparable since meeting in Croatia as teenagers and are nearing a decade together.
Goltes has built a nice career for herself as a digital creator and boasts over a quarter-million followers on Instagram. Though she has not posted much in the past few months, everything she shares gets tons and tons of love from Doncic’s many fans.
“People have [a] best friend, boyfriend, true love. I’m lucky they are all the same person,” Goltes wrote on an Instagram post in 2018.
At the start of Luka’s new career in Los Angeles, she and Gabriela showed up to one of his first games with the team, both sporting adorable Lakers shirts with his No. 77 number on the back.
“New chapter 💛💜,” she wrote on February 11.
Goltes and Luka have been very careful to keep their daughter’s face hidden from cameras (a smart move given what some people can do with children’s faces on the internet these days), but she is more than willing to pose for the camera when the situation arises:
When she’s not spending time with Doncic himself, Goltes can be seen caring for one of several adorable furry friends:
What does the future hold?
Doncic and Goltes got engaged in July 2023 but there are a slew of reasons that the wedding itself hasn’t happened yet.
Security could certainly be a reason. The couple’s home was burglarized back in December.
On the court, things look very bright for Doncic. Even if he doesn’t win an NBA title with LeBron James at his side, he is primed to be the face of L.A. basketball for the remainder of the decade and potentially beyond.
He’ll have his soon-to-be-wife at his side for the rest of the journey.
Now if Doncic can just learn to stay in shape for 82 games…
Related: Luka Doncic Announces Engagement To Longtime Girlfriend