NBA superstar Luka Doncic has snapped up Maria Sharapova’s £18.5million mansion. The Los Angeles Lakers basketball sensation last month bought the retired five-time Grand Slam champion’s five-bedroom pad in Manhattan Beach, LA.
Doncic, 26, acquired the property through his business manager, Lara Beth Seager, according to records viewed at PropertyShark.com and as confirmed by Southern California News Group. The Slovenian signed a three-year contract extension worth £122m in August with the Lakers and purchased the mansion shortly afterwards. Florida-based Sharapova, 38, had listed the five-bed property for £18.5m ($24.995m) in July, just 13 years after buying it for £3m ($4.1m), according to The Wall Street Journal. It is understood that Sharapova and her fiance Alexander Gilkes made the decision with the aim of spending more time in Europe with their family.
The three-story house was custom-built in 2015 by KAA Design and sits on just under a quarter-acre lot. It boasts remarkable sea views and state-of-the-art facilities. It has two bowling lanes built into it and an adjacent media room. There is also an outside pool and a seating area for when friends and family are over, as well as a built-in bench, which Sharapova is said to use regularly to read poolside.
The property also includes big walls of greenery surrounding it to ensure that its occupants have plenty of privacy, and the outside sitting area is roofed to prevent bad weather from spoiling time around the firepit.
The home is decorated elegantly and practically, with plenty of modern storage space to hide items away in every room. The bathrooms are also decked out with free-standing baths and with his-and-hers vanity design sinks.
The former world No. 1 tennis star told Architectural Digest in 2019 that she was “obsessed with the process of making [the] home” and was inspired by Japanese architecture and minimalist aesthetics. “I’d jump off a plane from a tournament and go straight to the worksite or to the architect’s office or to a kitchen manufacturer,” she said.
“This was my project, and I wasn’t going to delegate any part of it. I’ve traveled all over the world and enjoyed lots of incredible spaces,” she added. “But my home is my absolute favorite. I think that’s the way it should be.”
Russian-born Sharapova enjoyed a 19-year career on the court, first bursting onto the scene by winning a Wimbledon title in 2004 as a mere 17-year-old. She beat Serena Williams in straight sets, which firmly placed her as one of the most exciting talents in the sport. And she fulfilled her potential in the form of French Open, Australian Open and US Open titles before hanging up her racket in 2020.
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