Luka Dončić’s Jordans Got A Custom Upgrade — And It’s All About Being A New Dad
— Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images
On Friday, December 1st, Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić was listed as “out” against the Grizzlies for personal reasons. Just hours later, those personal reasons became ultra-clear after Dončić announced he had welcomed a newborn daughter with his long-time fiancée Anamaria Goltes, who they named Gabriela. They had not publicly announced that Anamaria was expecting — so the announcement of Gabriela’s birth came as quite a surprise to the rest of the world.
Dončić and Goltes announced the birth with a simple Instagram photo of him and Goltes holding their newborn daughter’s hands. When Dončić did return to the court the very next day, on Saturday, December 2nd, for a home game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, he did so with a brand-spanking new custom upgrade to his Jordan Luka 2s — an upgrade dedicated to baby Gabriela.
Dončić hit the court in a pair of white/tan Luka 2s with pink accents. Next to the pink Jumpman on the bottom of the shoe, Dončić — or someone else — handwrote his daughter’s name, Gabriela, in all caps, with a heart, in black ink. Man, those are clean shoes.
— Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images
While the Mavericks didn’t take home the dub that night against OKC, Dončić and his team put on a veritable masterclass in scoring — Luka alone racked up 36 points, 18 assists, and 15 rebounds. He and the team also put on a 30-0 run in the second half of the game — an apparent franchise first, per CBSSports, but not enough to overcome OKC.
Perhaps new fatherhood is fueling Luka. In a post-game interview, Dončić put the arrival of daughter Gabriela short and sweet: “First of all, it was the happiest day of my life.” He added: “I got the baby, but then today’s game was a big rollercoaster, too. I’m so sad we didn’t win this game, but man, we gave a big, big effort.” Is Luka already leading by example for his newborn daughter on how to graciously accept loss and have a winner’s attitude? (He’ll also have to teach her the art of court trash-talk, too.)
As for the Jordan Luka 2s — while the colorway Dončić donned for Saturday night’s game doesn’t yet appear to be on sale, other colorways are, including “Trick Shot,” a white, light blue, and green sneaker, and “The Pitch,” a multi-colored sneaker that’s an assault on the senses (and the court. In a good way.)
Congratulations to Luka and Anamaria!