“He Survived”: Long Distance With 13-Year-Old Luka Doncic Was Crazy Hard Details Mom Mirjam

From touching a basketball at the age of seven months to leading his franchise to the NBA Finals, Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic has had an incredible journey. Throughout it all, his parents have been a constant source of support. However, when he received the offer from Real Madrid at the tender age of 13, the aspiring player had to make a decision that would temporarily separate him from his loved ones. Behind all the glamour of his NBA stardom, no one found out how much the player’s mother struggled when he placed his dreams in the forefront while briefly staying away in a different city, a different country than her. The answer would not be revealed until a few years later.

In 2020, Luka Doncic’s mother, Mirjam Poterbin, sat down for an interview with a WFAA journalist. During the same, she shed light on sending her son away to Madrid, Spain, to pursue his dreams while the latter had just approached teenagerhood. She described the whole ordeal as being hard on her, something that even brought her to the verge of tears. Mirjam highlighted making it a point to be with her son every weekend. While she was skeptical about the journey and the emotional toll it would take on both mother and son, the teenager reminded her mother about what this meant to him.

“In the beginning, I said honestly, ‘Luka, you have time. You’re really good, you have time, you can go later” said Mirjam. “And he said to me…. ‘Listen, Mom, I want to try’. At that moment, I knew that this was great because he wanted to try. Even when he came there, it was so hard. Probably, he would leave, but he liked buses so much. He said, ‘No, I need to survive.’ So he survived.”

The five-year contract that Luka Doncic signed with Real Madrid back in 2012 allowed him to be a prominent part of the club’s under-16 team. By February 2013, he had led the team to a tournament win by averaging a score of 24.5 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, and 6 steals. The 25 points, 16 rebounds, and 5 steals he dropped in the tournament’s final game earned him MVP honors and certified his position as a player to watch out for. It wouldn’t be until two years later that he became a regular member of Real Madrid’s senior team and set a course that would take him to America and the NBA.

Being away from home, Luka Doncic receives appreciation from his father for every moment they spend

When one had to guess from where Luka Doncic got his passion for basketball, all they needed to do was look in the direction of his father. After all, Sasa Doncic himself served as a professional player for over 17 years before serving an additional 12 years as a coach. Even though he may no longer be together with Luka’s mom, Doncic Sr. makes it a priority to be a pillar for his son at all times.

Just like Mirjam, Luka’s shift to Spain also affected the father. The physical distance between them continued to build when the player eventually went off to America. However, all this did was make Sasa Doncic realize that he needed to be more involved in his son’s life. After being separated during his teen years, he wouldn’t allow the same to happen as his son goes through adulthood.

“Luka went away from home to Spain when he was very young, and you can’t bring those lost moments back,” said Doncic Sr. “From Madrid, he went to Dallas, so you don’t get to see your child every day or even every week. So as a parent, you appreciate these moments even more. So, any moment I can spend with him—literally everywhere I can—means the world to me.”

Sasa Doncic has been a behind-the-scenes presence as his son and the Dallas Mavericks roster currently hold a 1-3 record in the ongoing NBA Finals series. He recently made headlines after the franchise’s recent win for sharing a heartwarming moment with Kyrie Irving’s father, Drederick. The smiles on their faces were quite visible as they were glad that their sons still had a fighting chance in this ultimate stage of the tournament.

Before leaving, do check out some insights that Shaquille O’Neal’s ex-agent, Leonard Armato, shared about WNBA star rookies Angel Reese and Caitlin Clark.