Lakers guard Luka Doncic returns from injury with 28 points in season-opening win
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The gist
Lakers guard Luka Doncic posted 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals in a 127-105 win over Golden State.
It was his first game since an April hamstring injury, in his first season leading the post-LeBron Lakers.
Background
Luka Doncic is a Los Angeles Lakers guard, the NBA's 2025-26 scoring champion and a six-time All-NBA selection, who arrived from the Dallas Mavericks in a February 2025 trade. He is entering his first full season as the team's primary leader after LeBron James left the Lakers in free agency for the Philadelphia 76ers, making this the franchise's first post-LeBron season. Doncic missed the end of last season with a hamstring injury and spent the summer recovering and then conditioning, skipping play for Slovenia to spend time with his two daughters.
How it unfolded
- Feb 2025Doncic was traded from the Dallas Mavericks to the Lakers in one of the most shocking trades in NBA history, with Anthony Davis going to Dallas.
- Apr 2, 2026Doncic suffered a hamstring injury that sidelined him for the remainder of last season.
- 2026 offseasonLeBron James left the Lakers in free agency for the Philadelphia 76ers; Doncic did not play for Slovenia and later organized a Lakers minicamp in Slovenia.
- Sep 2026SportKlub reported Doncic had reached approximately 105 kilograms (231.5 pounds) while preparing for the new season.
- Oct 21, 2026Doncic published a full-page letter to Lakers fans in the Los Angeles Times, then posted 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals as the Lakers beat Golden State 127-105 in the opener.
- Oct 23, 2026The Los Angeles Times published a feature on Doncic going from 'Wonder Boy' to 'The Man'.
Who’s saying what
- Official
- Doncic said the team is starting its run for a championship and called it a special team that will do everything to deliver what fans expect.
- Teammate
- Lakers wing Ziaire Williams said it is better to be on Doncic's side of the trash talk and called him, in his opinion, the best player in the world.
- Caution
- An ESPN insider said Doncic needs real growth in his tendency to argue with officials if the Lakers are to succeed this season.
- Rookie
- Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg told reporters after the game he had lost all respect for Doncic following their verbal sparring.
Still unverified
Whether Doncic truly plans to be a Laker for life won't be known until the summer of 2028, per a source, despite his comments pointing that way.