Luka Dončić stunned Los Angeles Lakers fans from across the world with his most recent injury scare in an exhibition game. After being eliminated from the first round of the playoffs by the Minnesota Timberwolves, Dončić entered this offseason looking to fix his weaknesses and evolve into a better version of himself.
It certainly seemed like things were heading in that direction. After all, the Lakers star appeared to have undergone a physical transformation to lose excess body weight. He even decided to represent Slovenia in the ongoing EuroBasket 2025. Unfortunately, Dončić ended up sustaining an unexpected injury.
Luka Dončić’s Teammate Fell On Him During Slovenia vs. Latvia
While this offseason does seem to extend, international basketball tournaments tend to occur during the offseason and manage to capture the interest of basketball fans from across the world.
Dončić participated in an exhibition game between Slovenia and Latvia. That meant international basketball fans would have an opportunity to watch Dončić go up against Kristaps Porziņģis.
This game appeared to be slipping away from Dončić and his national team. With just under six minutes left in the third quarter, Latvia had a 14-point lead and seemed to be in control. As Dončić attempted to guard a player driving to the rim, his teammate fell on him, injuring the star guard’s knee.
Although this type of action is relatively common in the world of basketball, not every star can jump back up and shake things off to continue playing like nothing went wrong. Dončić certainly wasn’t able to do that. He exited the game and did not return as Slovenia ended up losing to Latvia with a final score of 88-100.
Luka Doncic’s teammate fell into him and the Lakers star appeared to injure his knee.
Doncic asked out of the game and went back to the Slovenia locker room. pic.twitter.com/RLSDjpeQkS
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) August 16, 2025
Fans who have been following the league for years will know that playing through injuries is a recipe for disaster. Kevin Durant and Tyrese Haliburton are two of many examples to avoid this strategy at all costs. As a result, Dončić is not expected to “fight through” this knee injury and rush his return to the Slovenian National team.
Given that the Lakers star recently signed a contract extension with the organization and is expected to remain with them for the foreseeable future, his priority would ideally revolve around missing the entire EuroBasket 2025 and ensuring that he is in top shape for the upcoming season.
After all, the fact remains that he has LeBron James as his co-star for a limited window. James might just leave the team next season or retire since his own contract will have ended. In any case, Lakers fans are left hoping that Dončić ensures that his health and conditioning are given the utmost care.
