Getty
Luka Doncic #77 of the Los Angeles Lakers reacts from the floor after a play during the second half against the Oklahoma City Thunder at the Paycom Center on April 2, 2026 in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.
Slovenian guard Luka Doncic is in danger of not qualifying for end-of-season awards and honors like All-NBA and MVP after enduring a hamstring injury in Thursday’s 139-96 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder. That’s because the Los Angeles Lakers star suffered the injury in his 64th game of the season, falling just one game short of the 65-game threshold needed to maintain eligibility for awards.
Per ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, Doncic would have received a grace had he played in at least 85% of the Lakers’ 77 games before his injury. However, since he appeared in 83% of the games, he would have to play at least one more game to qualify for the awards.
Luka Doncic MVP Dreams Over?
“Depending on how much time Doncic has to miss, Thursday might have cost him not only a shot at his first MVP but even his eligibility for the award at all,” wrote McMenamin. “The game was his 64th of the season, and players must play 65 to qualify for end-of-season awards. The Lakers have five games remaining.
“There is an exception for players who reach 62 games and play at least 85% of their team’s games at the time of a season-ending injury, but that would not apply to Doncic. He has played in 64 of the Lakers’ 77 games, which is 83%.”
The ESPN report further noted that Doncic would have to meet the CBA’s “season-ending injury” exception to be eligible for the awards.
“Furthermore, Doncic’s hamstring injury would have to qualify as a “season-ending injury” as the CBA defines it. That means it would need to be an injury that, in the opinion of a physician jointly selected by the NBA and players’ association, makes it substantially more likely than not that the player would be unable to play through May 31 following the date of his injury.
“Otherwise, it would simply be an injury that happens to coincide with the end of the regular season, which is what appears to be the case with Doncic right now.”
Luka Doncic Injury Update
Doncic would undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the severity of his hamstring injury. If it’s a grade 2 strain, Doncic could be forced to miss multiple weeks of action, putting his status for the NBA playoffs in jeopardy.
The best-case scenario for Doncic would be a grade 1 strain, which could keep him out for approximately a week. It’s worth noting that Doncic missed four games earlier this year due to a grade 1 hamstring injury. As such, there’s still a possibility that Doncic could return and play in one of the Lakers’ last five games to stay eligible for All-NBA.
Even if Doncic doesn’t reach the 65-game threshold, he will win the NBA scoring title for the second time in his career, having played in at least 58 games this season. Doncic has averaged 33.5 points, 8.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals from 64 games.
The Lakers (50-27) will next play the Dallas Mavericks (24-52) in an away game Sunday before returning home to face the Thunder (61-16) in a rematch of Thursday’s contest.
Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan
More Heavy on Lakers
Loading more stories