Luka Doncic on his season-ending injury against OKC “When it comes to my spirit of trying to win, I am just stubborn. I felt a little bit in the first half that I should have just stopped. I should have come out. I think we had a team that could compete for the championship. I definitely regret it”
Luka Doncic fully regrets forcing his way to play for the Los Angeles Lakers amid hamstring issues.
Particularly, in an interview with Sports Illustrated, Doncic took full accountability for worsening the injury during the Lakers’ late-season matchup back in April against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
“When it comes to my spirit of trying to win, I am just stubborn. I felt a little bit in the first half that I should have just stopped,” Doncic said.
“I should have come out. I think we had a team that could compete for the championship. I definitely regret it.”
The Los Angeles Lakers have been dominated by the Oklahoma City Thunder during that game, trailing by 31 points at halftime when Luka Doncic initially tweaked his left hamstring.
Instead of calling it quits, Doncic pushed himself to start the second half. Just five minutes into the third quarter, he suffered a severe Grade 2 hamstring strain that completely ended his season and the Lakers’ title chances.
Although the Lakers still ended up closing the regular season with 53 wins and beating the Houston Rockets in the opening round of the NBA Playoffs, Doncic’s absence was too much for LA to endure as they got subsequently swept by the Thunder in the West Finals.
Doncic was off the charts before sustaining the season-ending injury, averaging an NBA-high 33.5 points.
Now fully healthy as he learned his lesson from that moment, Doncic will look to lead the Lakers to a redemption campaign this upcoming 2026-27 season.