Luka Doncic Updates Injury Status, Reacts to Lakers Getting Swept by Thunder in 2026 NBA Playoffs
On the heels of the Los Angeles Lakers getting swept out of the second round of the NBA playoffs by the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night, Lakers superstar guard Luka Dončić provided an update on the hamstring injury that kept him out for L.A.'s entire postseason run.
After the Lakers' season-ending, 115-110 loss to the Thunder in Game 4 on Monday, Dončić told reporters he "wasn't close" to getting cleared to play at any time during his absence.
He added, "We thought we were going to compete for a championship. "I think we had a great team, we had great chemistry, and obviously playing with [Austin Reaves] and [LeBron James], it's an unbelievable experience. They are two great players, and it was really fun to share the court with them."
Dončić had been out since April 2, when he suffered a hamstring strain. He missed the entire first round as the Lakers handled business against the Houston Rockets in six games.
Dončić wasn't expected to be ready for the start of the Lakers' second-round series against the defending champion Thunder, and ESPN's Shams Charania reported before the series started that Dončić was on "a week-to-week basis," but noted that "it's still a slow path" to his recovery.
The Lakers were playing some of their best basketball of the season when Dončić suffered the injury, but there were plenty of questions heading into the postseason. Along with Dončić's absence, Austin Reaves missed the first four games of the first-round series, so it was up to James to lead the way for Los Angeles.
With the Lakers' season now over, Dončić will have an entire offseason to recover, but the team could look much different in 2026-27 since James is set to become a free agent and could either sign elsewhere or retire.
