Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Dončić exited Thursday’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder with a non-contact hamstring injury.
This latest setback, depending on how it pans out, could seriously affect the NBA’s award races once the season concludes.
How Will Luka Dončić’s Injury Impact the NBA Awards Race?
Dončić has been on a legendary run over the past month. In the 13 games he’s played in since March 6, he’s averaged 39.8 points, 7.8 rebounds, and 7.3 assists. This blazing hot streak from the Slovenian superstar seemingly came to an abrupt end on Thursday after he suffered the hamstring injury.
With over seven minutes left in the third quarter, he attempted to attack the basket then stopped at the left elbow to pick up his dribble. However, he dropped the ball immediately after picking it up and began hopping on his right leg while holding the left. He managed to get to the baseline before sitting down in agony.
ESPN’s Dave McMenamin later announced that an MRI, which will be conducted on Friday, is needed to determine the full extent of the injury.
Luka Doncic will undergo an MRI on Friday to determine the extent of his left hamstring injury, a source familiar with Doncic’s situation told ESPN
— Dave McMenamin (@mcten) April 3, 2026
There is still uncertainty about the injury and whether Dončić will be sidelined for an extended period. If he misses the remainder of the 2025-26 regular season, it would automatically mean he’s no longer eligible for end-of-season awards.
In fact, he’ll have been one game short of the 65 games required to be eligible for awards. Thursday’s game against the Thunder was the Lakers’ 77th of the season, but it was only the 64th for Dončić.
The NBA has an exception for season-ending injuries that occur after March 31, provided the player has played in 85% of his team’s games up to that point. However, Dončić has played in just 83.1% of the Lakers’ games, including Thursday, and does not qualify for the exception.
Before this latest setback, he had already missed 10 games due to various injuries. Additionally, he traveled back to Slovenia in December for the birth of his daughter, which caused him to miss two straight games. He also did not suit up against the Washington Wizards on Monday as he was serving a one-game suspension for accruing his 16th technical foul of the season.
Dončić was among the frontrunners for the MVP award all season long, never falling out of the top five since the rankings were released in Week 3 of the season. In fact, two weeks ago, he climbed back up to second on the ladder and was just behind Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. In the previous week, though, he had fallen to fourth, while Gilgeous-Alexander fell to second.
While the MVP award has been a tight race and Dončić has never been the clear No. 1 favorite, his play this season already had him locked for an All-NBA Team. However, even that would not come to fruition if he misses the remainder of the season.
If he doesn’t become eligible for an All-NBA spot, it’ll be the second consecutive season that he isn’t named to one. Before the 2024-25 season, he had been named to five straight All-NBA First Teams already.
