Lakers' Luka Doncic Takes Blame for Season-Ending Hamstring Injury, Missing 2026 NBA Playoffs

Luka Dončić is taking the blame for the hamstring injury that sidelined him for the Los Angeles Lakers' playoff run last spring.

Dončić played for the final time last season on April 2 against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a game in which the Lakers trailed by 31 points at the half.

He told Sports Illustrated 's Chris Mannix he regretted not exiting the game after tweaking his left hamstring in the second quarter.

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Dončić instead stayed in for the third, during which he suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain that kept him on the sideline for the rest of the season.

The Lakers were eliminated in a second-round sweep by the Thunder more than a month later.

"When it comes to my spirit of trying to win, I am just stubborn," Dončić told Mannix. "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."

Dončić isn't the only player who showed up in the second half of that blowout loss to the Thunder only to miss significant time due to injury afterward.

Austin Reaves, who looked uncomfortable earlier in the game, started the third quarter before missing more than three weeks with an oblique injury.

Lakers coach JJ Redick told reporters after the game the Lakers had discussed at halftime whether to sit Dončić and Reaves, but ultimately decided to continue playing starters in an attempt to cut into the Thunder's lead.

Redick added Dončić had been checked out by team trainers at halftime before he was cleared to play in the second half.

"He got work done. He was cleared. Again, we're not going to put a player at risk. Those things happen," Redick said about Dončić in his postgame interview.

Dončić said in an August email to fans he had "100 percent" recovered from the hamstring injury.

Whether Dončić and Reaves can remain healthy this season will be key to their hopes of keeping a Lakers roster that has been completely overhauled in the wake of LeBron James' departure in playoff contention.