Lakers superstar Luka Dončić suffers season-ending injury

Luka Dončić scored 41 points in the Los Angeles Lakers’ 113-110 loss to the Phoenix Suns, and they have lost five of their last seven games. Colin Cowherd asks if the Lakers are built to contend with Luka Dončić and if they should move on from LeBron James.

The Los Angeles Lakers' championship hopes just took a major hit.

NBA scoring leader Luka Dončić will miss the rest of the regular season with a Grade 2 strain of his left hamstring, the team announced Friday.

It's unclear what his status is for the postseason.

Dončić was the main reason the Lakers climbed into the third spot in the Western Conference standings. But an injury to his leg during Los Angeles’ blowout loss in Oklahoma City Thursday has taken that all away after an MRI exam revealed the severity of the strain.

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Lakers coach JJ Redick said Dončić was injured in the first half against the Thunder but was cleared to return to the game while his team was getting plastered by the defending NBA champion Thunder. 

Dončić lasted only about four minutes before he spun, stopped and went down on the court in pain, leading to his departure.

Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Dončić controls the ball against the Orlando Magic in the first quarter at Kia Center March 21, 2026. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/Imagn Images)

The Lakers acquired Dončić in a surprising and controversial trade in February 2025, when the Dallas Mavericks sent the Latvian superstar, along with Maxi Kleber and Markieff Morris to LA in exchange for 31-year-old Anthony Davis, Max Christie and a 2029 first-round pick. The move left many fans and pundits puzzled, believing the trade was lopsided in favor of the Lakers.

The Pacific Division champion Lakers (50-27)