The home of Dallas Mavericks star Luka Dončić was burglarized on Friday night, the latest instance of an athlete’s home being broken into.
The break-in happened Friday night, the Dallas police department told USA TODAY Sports. Officials said officers responded to the home about 10:30 p.m.
‘The preliminary investigation determined that unknown suspects entered the property and took items. This investigation is ongoing,’ police said.
The news of the incident was first reported by NBA reporter Marc Stein. Lara Beth Seager, Dončić’s business partner, told Stein no on was present at the home during the incident. It was not announced what was taken from the home.
‘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.’
Dallas had a home victory against the Phoenix Suns on Friday, but Dončic did not play after suffering a calf injury during the Mavericks’ 105-99 Christmas Day loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. He is expected to be sidelined for at least a month.
The burglary continues a wave of athletes who have had their homes broken into. The homes of the Kansas City Chiefs’ Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce were burglarized within 48 hours of each other in early October and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s home was broken into while he was playing on ‘Monday Night Football.’ Milwaukee Bucks forward Bobby Portis and Minnesota Timberwolves guard Mike Conley Jr. were also victims of break-ins.
The NFL and NBA have sent memos to all teams in their respective leagues warning about the high of burglaries. The NFL said organized criminals are increasingly targeting these homes and ‘law enforcement officials have noted these groups appear to exploit team schedules to target athletes’ homes on game days.’
The NBA memo, a copy of which was obtained by The Associated Press, said the FBI has connected some burglaries to ‘transnational South American Theft Groups’ that ‘incorporate advanced techniques and technologies, including pre-surveillance, drones, and signal jamming devices.’