Luka Doncic and his girlfriend Anamaria Goltes were on hand this past week to celebrate Nikola Jokic’s 28th birthday.
Why is this notable?
Because reportedly the pair were the only two attendees of the bash who were not members of the Jokic family.
It didn’t long for the imagery to leak out.
Luka Dončić and his girlfriend were invited to Nikola Jokić birthday party. Only 2 people there who were not Nikola family members. pic.twitter.com/Ds1h63hEAA
— Luka⁷⁷ updates 🇸🇮 (@LukaUpdates) February 23, 2023
Doncic standing next to one of Jokic’s brothers (the one who threatened to beat up everyone on the Miami Heat before partying it up in South Beach) also didn’t go unnoticed.
Luka is 6’8 / 230 pic.twitter.com/0LsIhrPCWK
— Luka⁷⁷ updates (@LukaUpdates) February 23, 2023
Better rebounder than powell
— Andrey (@zbogus77) February 23, 2023
Obviously the event didn’t look quite as wild as Michael Jordan’s 60th birthday party nor as intimate as Doncic’s Valentine’s Day celebration with Goltes, but it still seemed to be a good time.
Just one week ago, at All-Star Weekend, Jokic couldn’t stop singing Doncic’s praises. The compliments were effusive.
Reporter: “How would you explain Luka Doncic to someone who doesn’t know?”
Nikola Jokic: “He’s a one-man army. He’s a guy who can destroy you, who can really manipulate the game the right way. There’s no good matchup for him.”
(via @TomerAzarly) pic.twitter.com/U4bBVbYbrw
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 22, 2023
“He’s a one-man army,” Jokic said of Doncic.
“He’s a guy who can destroy you, who can really manipulate the game the right way. There’s no good matchup for him.”
Understandably NBA fans had some strong reactions to Doncic reportedly being the only non-family member at Jokic’s birthday.
Greatness sticks together. Helps to be European I suppose in this situation too!!! 🙂
— Blake Harris (@blakemharris) February 24, 2023
These two will join forces before it’s said and done.
— Jayson (@HuiAdventures) February 24, 2023
If Dallas cant build a team around Luka, he is gone and will probably go to Denver
— Kugla (@Kugla4) February 23, 2023
Doncic is currently locked into a five-year, $215 million contract. He won’t be free of that until a player option in 2026.
Jokic, meanwhile, is on the verge of starting a five-year, $272 million contract extension that has a $62 million player option in 2027.
For the foreseeable future it seems like both men are pretty locked into place. It’s hard to see how they could come together to team up.
That said, in a league where Kevin Durant got himself traded to the Phoenix Suns despite being in the first-year of a four-year contract, anything is possible.
Will Doncic and Jokic player together some day? Time will tell.
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A graduate from the University of Texas, Anthony Amador has been credentialed to cover the Houston Texans, Dallas Cowboys, San Antonio Spurs, Dallas Mavericks and high school games all over the Lone Star State. Currently, his primary beats are the NBA, MLB, NFL and UFC.
