Luka Doncic missed the 2026 NBA Playoffs due to injury. Now the Los Angeles Lakers superstar reveals why he carried on playing despite initial symptoms, and why he still regrets that decision to this day.
For Luka Doncic, the last NBA season ended on a very bitter note. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar injured his left thigh shortly before the start of the play-offs and was forced to watch helplessly as his team were knocked out in the second round. Now the Slovenian is looking back on that difficult evening and admits that he made the wrong decision.
Speaking to Sports Illustrated, Doncic explained that he had already felt discomfort at the back of his left thigh during the first half of the match against the Oklahoma City Thunder on 2 April. Although the Lakers were trailing by 31 points at half-time, the 27-year-old decided to carry on playing. Just five minutes after the restart, he had to be substituted due to a second-degree muscle strain. That effectively ended his season.
Doncic takes the blame
“When it comes to my will to win, I’m just stubborn,” Doncic explained in hindsight. “I should have stopped. I should have come off,” he admitted. He still regrets that decision to this day: “I thought we had a team that could compete for the championship. I definitely regret it.”
After the match, Lakers coach JJ Redick came in for particular criticism for keeping his injured superstar on the court despite the deficit. However, Luka does not wish to place the blame on his coach.
Without Doncic, the Lakers did reach the second round of the play-offs, but were defeated 0–4 by OKC. Austin Reaves was also absent due to injury. Doncic had enjoyed a strong season up until his injury: averaging 33.5 points per game, he led the NBA as the top scorer and was selected for the All-NBA First Team for the sixth time.