Lakers’ Luka Doncic Given Concerning Verdict by Ex Head Coach

Former NBA head coach Stan Van Gundy does not believe Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic should be granted an “Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge” so he can be eligible for All-NBA and other end-of-season honors.

Doncic, who appeared in 64 games before sustaining a hamstring strain, is technically ineligible for All-NBA because he didn’t meet the 65-game threshold. However, the Slovenian plans to file an appeal with the league, noting that he missed two games in early December to travel to Slovenia for the birth of his second child.

Addressing the controversy on the “Zach Lowe Show” on Thursday, Van Gundy said that Doncic does not deserve preferential treatment

---

Luka Doncic Put on Blast

“The whole thing with his wife having a baby, Come on!” Van Gundy said of Doncic.

“If that were the only games he missed, fine. Everybody has missed games for personal reasons. We either have a line, or we don’t. If we have a line, then let’s stick to it.

“He didn’t make it. Are there other games he maybe could’ve played or would’ve played if they were at the end of the year to qualify?”

Further to Van Gundy’s point, Doncic would have received an automatic exemption had he played in at least 85% of the Lakers’ 77 games at the time of his injury. However, since he appeared in 83% of the games, he missed the cut for a CBA-granted exemption.

“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,” ESPN’s Dave McMenamin explained on April 2.

---

Lakers Star Gets Endorsement

Unlike Van Gundy, Hall of Famers Carmelo Anthony and Tracy McGrady believe Doncic is worthy of All-NBA honors and should be granted an injury exemption.

“The Extraordinary Circumstances Challenge is a thing, right? Where they get an arbitrator, and they come in and see if this warrants a change,” McGrady said “NBC on Prime” telecast last weekend.

“I think he’s eligible for that. He should be able to get those two games back.”

“It’s the birth of his child. It’s not an injury,” McGrady continued. “This is not load management. This is the birth of his child, where you’ve gotta fly to another country.

“I’m sure the league is gonna do right by that.”

Anthony agreed with McGrady’s assessment.

“These are international players. This is why we want them over here,” Anthony said.

“If they need to get back to go take care of family matters and they’re missing games, they shouldn’t be penalized for that.”

Besides Doncic, other NBA superstars like Cade Cunningham, Anthony Edwards, LeBron James, Stephen Curry and Giannis Antetokounmpo have been deemed ineligible to make the cut for an All-NBA team this year.

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