NBA All-Star Luka Doncic becomes latest professional athlete whose home was burglarized
Luka Doncic #77 of the Dallas Mavericks shoots the ball against the Washington Wizards during the second half at Capital One Arena on December 5
(CNN) — Around $30,000 worth of jewelry was stolen from Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic’s home, the Dallas Morning News reported, marking the latest in a string of recent similar burglaries impacting professional athletes.
Dallas police said they responded to Doncic’s home around 10:30 p.m. on Friday, according to CNN affiliate KTXA, and police said the preliminary investigation indicates unknown suspects entered the home and stole items.
Doncic’s home was broken into through the master bedroom window between 5 p.m. and 9 p.m. on Friday, according to an internal Dallas police report obtained by the Dallas Morning News.
The basketball player’s business manager, Lara Beth Seager, said nobody was home at the time of the incident and Doncic filed a police report, The Associated Press reported.
Mavericks coach Jason Kidd addressed the burglary Saturday night before the team played the Portland Trail Blazers, according to the AP.
“I’ve reached out to Luka and talked to him after that incident,” Kidd said. “He’s fine. Glad no one got hurt.”
CNN has reached out to Doncic’s manager and Dallas police for comment.
In October, the homes of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and tight end Travis Kelce were both burglarized.
Mahomes’ house in Loch Lloyd, Missouri, was burglarized sometime after midnight on October 6, according to a criminal report from the Cass County Sheriff’s Office.
The next evening, a house believed to be Kelce’s in Leawood, Kansas, according to CNN affiliate KCTV, was broken into. About $20,000 in cash was stolen and around $1,000 worth of damage was left on a rear door, according to a police report obtained by CNN.
NBA players’ homes have also been targeted. Mike Conley Jr., guard for the Minnesota Timberwolves, experienced a home break-in with stolen jewelry on September 15 while attending a Minnesota Vikings game, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis shared in a November 3 Instagram post that many of his “prized possessions were stolen” when his house was burgled the night before as he and his team played a home game against the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Portis later offered a $40,000 reward for information directly leading to the stolen items’ return.
Perpetrators “appear to exploit team schedules to target athletes’ homes on game days,” and seem to use social media, public records, media reports and surveillance to get information on their targets, according to an NFL security bulletin issued last month and obtained by CNN.
Some groups conduct extensive surveillance, including by making “attempted home deliveries” and “posing as grounds maintenance or joggers in a neighborhood,” according to the NFL memo.
NBA security officials received an FBI briefing that connected many burglaries of athletes’ and high-net-worth peoples’ homes “to transnational South American Theft Groups,” the leagues said in a separate memo obtained by CNN.
“The FBI reported that, in most of the incidents, the homes were equipped with alarm systems that were not activated,” the NBA memo stated. “The FBI also reported that the homes were all unoccupied and, in most cases, no dogs were present.”
The-CNN-Wire
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CNN’s Josh Campbell and Jill Martin contributed to this report.
