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Tim MacMahon, ESPN Staff Writer
Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic‘s home was burglarized Friday night, the latest in a series of break-ins at the homes of high-profile athletes, his business manager, Lara Beth Seager, told ESPN.
“No one was home at the time, and thankfully Luka and his family are safe,” Seager said. “Luka has filed a police report, and an investigation is ongoing.”
The burglary added to a difficult week for Doncic, who sustained a strained left calf during the Mavericks’ Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. That injury is expected to keep him sidelined for at least a month, sources told ESPN.
The homes of Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were broken into in October. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow‘s Ohio home was broken into while he was playing in a Dec. 9 road game against the Dallas Cowboys. In the NBA, Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis had his home broken into Nov. 2, and Timberwolves guard Mike Conley‘s home was burglarized Sept. 15 while he was at a Minnesota Vikings game.
Portis had offered a $40,000 reward for information.
The NFL and NBA issued security alerts to players after the previous break-ins, urging them to take additional precautions to secure their homes.
In league memos previously obtained by The Associated Press, the NFL said homes of professional athletes across multiple sports have become “increasingly targeted for burglaries by organized and skilled groups.”
The NBA revealed that the FBI has connected some burglaries to “transnational South American Theft Groups” that are “reportedly well-organized, sophisticated rings that incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.”
Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.