Mirjam Poterbin is Luka Doncic's Mom

Publish date: 2024-05-18

Mirjam Poterbin is the mother of Luka Doncic, the Slovenian professional basketball player. She was born on April 7, 1974, and is a former model and businesswoman. Luka is Mirjam’s only child and she had him with her ex-husband, Saša Dončić, whom she divorced in 2008. 

Mirjam’s famous son, Luka Doncic, plays in the NBA for the Dallas Mavericks as a point guard. He also represents the Slovenian men’s national basketball team and his career has been decorated with some of the most coveted awards in the sport. An NBA Rookie of the Year 2019, Luka is a three-time NBA ALL-Star who has also been named to the All-NBA First Team thrice. The fame of his illustrious career has rubbed off on his mother, especially in light of his court case with her.

Mirjam Poterbin’s Biography Summary

What is Luka Doncic’s Mom’s Age?

Luka Doncic’s mother, Mirajm Poterbin is 49 years old at the moment. According to various reports, she was born somewhere in present-day Slovenia on the 7th of April 1974. This means she is as old as her ex-husband, Slovenian professional basketball coach and former player, Saša Dončić. Sasa was born on the 14th of June 1974 and is currently 49 years old. 

Given her age, one could tell that Mirjam had her only child Luka Doncic when she was 25 years old. The point guard who currently plays for the Dallas Mavericks of the National Basketball Association was born on the 28th of February 1999. He is 24 years old right now.

Apart from the fact that she is a Caucasian woman of Slovenian nationality, a lot of information about Mirajm’s background is not known. While it is known that her mother is Milena Poterbin, the identity of her father has remained unknown to the public. Also, her siblings and details of her upbringing are yet to be disclosed.

Mirjam Poterbin Is a Former Model and Business Woman

It is known that Mirjam Poterbin played a significant role in nurturing her son’s basketball career. But contrary to what people might think, it is not all she has going for her. Long before Luka made it to the NBA in 2018, his mother had a career as a model. This saw her work with various notable brands in Europe.

Thanks to her good looks, she got to participate in the Miss Slovenia pageant of 1993. Although she didn’t win the contest, it paved way for her to explore more career opportunities in show business. For instance, she got the chance to host Wheel of Fortune and also work as a hurdler and dancer at some point.

Mirjam’s days as a model is over and she now has a career as an entrepreneur. Alongside her mother Milena Poterbin, she founded a beauty salon. They co-run the business and it is what takes most of Mirjam’s time at the moment. It has been claimed in some quarters that she is also a social media influencer. Given the number of followers she commands, this could be true.

Why Did Mirjam Poterbin Divorce Her Husband?

It is hard to tell exactly when Luka Doncic’s mother got married to his father, Sasa Doncic. However, we can confirm they divorced in 2008 when Luka was about 9 years old. Details of what led to the end of the marriage are not known to the public, but some reports claim that Poterbin filed for divorce because of Sasa’s infidelity.

Sasa Doncic is a Slovenian former basketball player who is now a basketball coach. Although he didn’t play in the NBA, Sasa was an accomplished player nonetheless. He played for many European teams as a shooting guard and small forward. During his active days, he won the Slovenian League championship twice and is a three-time Slovenian Cup winner. After Sasa and Mirjam Poterbin divorced in 2008, the latter got custody and legal guardianship of the NBA star.

Thereafter, she invested her time and resource into helping Luka pursue a professional career as a basketball player. Apart from showing up to cheer Luka as he plays, it is said that she handled all his off-court business. At the 2018 NBA Draft in New York City, Mirjam was with her son when he was picked in the first round by the Atlanta Hawks. The team later traded him to Dallas Mavericks for Trae Young.

Two years early, Mirjam left Slovenia to move to Spain. Luka, at the age of 13, had moved to Madrid to play for the Real Madrid basketball club. Mirjam couldn’t bare the thought of him living alone, so she decided to as well move to Spain.

Did Luka Doncic Sue His Mom?

Given how far Mirjam Poterbin has come with her famous son, it came as a surprise when it was reported in the fall of 2022 that they were involved in a legal batter over the trademark of Luka’s name. From what we gathered, the issue emanated after the Dallas Mavericks point guard requested to change the trademark for his business ventures in the United States to Luka DONCIC 77.

It is said that the Patent and Trademark Office of the United States declined the request on grounds that it might cause consumer confusion. This is so because Luka’s mother had been using the same trademark since 2018. Reports claim the point guard wrote his mother’s company, demanding they let go of the trademark. They refused to do so and he filed a petition against the company with the United States Patent and Trademark Office, demanding they cancel the trademark.

Reacting to that, his mother filed a motion, demanding that her son’s petition be dismissed. It is not certain if the issue has been resolved, but some reports have it that the NBA star has backed out from the case. While the issue must have strained their relationship, it is said that they are still on good terms.

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