Everything You Need To Know About Luka Dončić’s Catastrophic Injury

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OKLAHOMA CITY, OKLAHOMA - APRIL 02: Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts after a play during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center on April 2, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)

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On Friday, it was announced that Luka Dončić will be out indefinitely after suffering a Grade 2 left hamstring strain during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

While there isn’t a definite timetable for Dončić’s return, Shams Charania also mentioned in his reporting that Dončić will miss the remainder of the regular season.

Along with potentially destroying the Lakers’ season (more on this in a moment), this would also make Dončić ineligible for any end-of-season awards.

It has been a major talking point this season, but just in case you are unaware, players are only eligible for end-of-season awards (outside of Rookie of the Year and Sixth Man of the Year) if they play at least 65 games (and 20+ minutes in each of those games).

As it stands, Dončić fell just short of this threshold – appearing in 64 games for Los Angeles before going down on Thursday. So, it appears this hamstring strain will keep him from MVP/All-NBA ballots.

The league does have an exception for season-ending injuries. If a player has played over 20 minutes in at least 62 games, they are still eligible if they suffer a "season-ending" injury. However, Dončić’s injury will likely not fit this description. The NBA defines a season-ending injury in this case as "one that an independent physician (jointly selected by the league and players’ union) deems more likely than not to sideline the player through at least May 31."

According to Jeff Stotts, one of the best resources you will find on NBA Twitter, the average time lost for this type of injury is 35 days. Even if Dončić does not appear in another game for the Lakers this season, it is unlikely that an independent physician would deem that Dončić would miss two months from this hamstring strain.

So, it sounds like Dončić is flat out of luck. Unless…

Luka Dončić Is Filing For Award Eligibility Grievance​

There is an exception to the 65-game rule known as the "Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge." Dončić’s representation has already made it known that they are going to file for this exception.

This challenge allows players to file for an exception to the 65-game rule if the rule affects the status of their next contract (you know how making an All-NBA team makes players eligible for the supermax extension).

To prevail under this exception, "the player must prove that if not for extraordinary circumstances, he would have met the 65-game requirement and that it would be 'unjust' to exclude him from award consideration."

Dončić’s representation has already mentioned the argument they plan on using to prove their case:

"[Dončić] missed two games this season for the birth of his second child in Slovenia. His daughter was born on December 4 on another continent, and yet he was back in the United States competing with his team on December 6 [Dončić] has gone to great lengths to show up for his team and this league this season. His record-breaking season deserves to be noted in the history books, despite last night’s unfortunate injury and other extraordinary circumstances," Dončić’s agent, Bill Duffy, explained.

The CBA doesn’t strictly define what constitutes an "extraordinary circumstance" based on this exception. As someone with a background in law, I can tell you that it isn’t atypical for policymakers to be more ambiguous with rules like this, allowing for flexibility in unforeseen situations, as we see here.

This is the first time a player has challenged the 65-game rule under this exception. So, we do not have any precedent to look to here. However, CBA experts like Bobby Marks believe that Dončić has a good case.

The Los Angeles Lakers Will Be In Trouble Without Luka Dončić​

This season, Los Angeles has a net rating of -2.3 in the minutes Dončić is not on the floor (1,412 minutes, per PBP Stats). Their defensive rating remains roughly the same, but their offense loses over 6.5 points per 100 when Dončić is off the court (114.2 offensive rating) compared to when he is on it (120.9 offensive rating).

It is pretty normal for a team to be worse when its best player is not on the floor. However, really good teams are usually still able to outscore their opponents without their top player. For reference, the Detroit Pistons still have a net rating of +4.4 when Cade Cunningham is not on the floor (1,625 minutes).


We don’t know if Dončić will be available for the postseason (or if his request for the extraordinary circumstances exception will be granted), but if he misses any time in a playoff series, we definitely know that Los Angeles is in a whole mess of trouble.

This article was originally published on Forbes.com

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