Luka Doncic Files Petition for Daughters' Return to U.S. Amid Custody Dispute

Los Angeles Lakers player Luka Doncic has filed a Hague Convention petition to bring his two daughters, Gabriela and Olivia, from Slovenia to the United States amid an ongoing custody battle with his former fiancée, Anamaria Goltes.

The petition, confirmed by a source to the California Post, aims to "organize or secure effective exercise of rights of access to a child," according to the U.S. Department of State.

Doncic, 2-year-old Gabriela and 9-month-old Olivia are currently in Slovenia with Goltes. Doncic, entering his third season with the Lakers, is seeking to have his daughters join him in Los Angeles.

Last summer, Doncic remained in Slovenia with his daughters, even arranging for the Lakers to hold a minicamp in his home country so he could be close to his family. He returned to Los Angeles last week for training camp. During Lakers media day, he wore bracelets made by his daughters and shared photos of them on Instagram, writing, "G+O, no matter where in the world your Dad is, there is not a day when you wouldn’t be in my heart. Wherever I go, you are always with me. I love you!"

Doncic opted not to play for the Slovenian national team this past summer to spend time with his children. He stated in a May Instagram post that his daughters "will always come first in my life." He also expressed that it had become "extremely difficult" to see them over the preceding eight months as he worked toward joint custody.

The Hague Convention is an international treaty designed to protect children from abduction and to establish procedures for the prompt return of children who have been wrongfully removed or retained in a contracting state. The petition was filed in Slovenia.