Luka Doncic will face the Dallas Mavericks this Tuesday night for the first time since the organization shocked the NBA world and traded him to the Los Angeles Lakers. 

Doncic was the face of the franchise in Dallas, leading the Mavericks to an NBA Finals appearance last season.

However, the front office felt like it needed to move on from the five-time All-Star in order to improve its team defense. That’s why general manager Nico Harrison prioritized getting Anthony Davis from the Lakers.

“I believe that defense wins championships,” Harrison said. “I believe that getting an All-Defensive center and an All-NBA player with a defensive mindset gives us a better chance. We’re built to win now and in the future.”

Shortly after the Mavericks traded Doncic, rumors about his conditioning and commitment to Dallas surfaced. There was also some hesitation about him possibly signing a five-year, $345 million contract, per reports.

While there’ll be plenty of conflicted fans watching tonight’s game between the Mavericks and Lakers, Doncic’s longtime partner, Anamaria Goltes, will obviously be in his corner from the opening tipoff until the final whistle.

Doncic and Goltes actually met when they were just 12 years old. She talked about their love story during an Instagram Q&A session.

“I answered this question like a million times. We met when we were 12 years old at the seaside in Croatia,” she said. “Fun fact: We still have the same group of friends we had at that time. You keep the real ones, am I right?”

Doncic and Goltes have been together since 2016. Seven years later, he proposed to her in Slovenia.

Goltes, 26, might not be as popular as Doncic, but she has over 250,000 Instagram followers. She made her modeling debut a few years ago when she landed an ambassador role for Lisca Lingerie.

Luka Doncic's longtime girlfriend, Anamaria Goltes.

Anamaria Goltes/Instagram.

In December 2023, Doncic and Goltes had their first child together, Gabriela. She’s been attending the Lakers’ home games so far.

Doncic is coming off his best game with Los Angeles. Over the weekend, he dropped 32 points on the Denver Nuggets in 31 minutes of action.

We’ll see what Doncic has in store for his former team tonight.