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Doncic says he regrets playing on through the hamstring injury that ended his season

Luka Doncic told Sports Illustrated he "definitely" regrets staying in an April 2 game against Oklahoma City after feeling his hamstring, an injury that kept him out of the Lakers' playoffs. He has since returned in preseason.

2 outlets · 0L · 1C · 1R First reported Account updated
Image: Newsweek
Image: Fox News

1 / 2

The story, neutrally told

Mixed · 2Luka Doncic told Sports Illustrated he regrets continuing to play after feeling his left hamstring in a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder on April 2, 2026. Centre · 1He said: "When it comes to my spirit of trying to win, I am just stubborn." Mixed · 2He stayed in the game and suffered a Grade 2 hamstring strain, which ruled him out of the Lakers' playoff run.

Right · 1Fox News reported that the Thunder won the game 139-96 and that the Lakers had been 16-2 over the preceding stretch; it said Doncic felt a tweak in the second quarter and kept playing. Centre · 1Newsweek said Doncic did not blame coach JJ Redick, who had faced criticism for keeping him on the floor, and instead accepted responsibility himself. Right · 1Doncic also said the Lakers had a team that could compete for the championship. Fox News said that, without him, LeBron James led the team past the Houston Rockets before the Thunder beat Los Angeles in the second round.

Centre · 1Doncic returned in preseason, playing 16 minutes and scoring 21 points against the Sacramento Kings on Oct. 5, and said, "I felt great, honestly." Centre · 1Redick said Doncic "came into camp in fantastic shape", and Newsweek reported that Doncic skipped Slovenia's FIBA commitments this summer to focus on recovery and conditioning. Mixed · 2The 2026-27 season is the Lakers' first without LeBron James, whom Fox News reports has moved to the Philadelphia 76ers, leaving Doncic as the team's lone star.

Centre · 1New teammate Jaden Hardy said Doncic's leadership has grown: "I feel like he's just taking it to another step."

Every sentence links to the reporting it rests on. The pill in front of each says where its sources sit: Left, Centre or Right when one side supplies at least half of them, Mixed when they are evenly split. The number is how many outlets it cites.

Left0 outlets

No left outlet in our sources has covered this story yet.

Centre1 outlet

Framing
Forward-looking profile: the regret quote is the lead, followed by Doncic's preseason return, offseason conditioning, and leadership without LeBron James.
Emphasis
Recovery, Redick's and Hardy's praise, the Sacramento preseason game, and a closing view that the Lakers need a "healthier, more measured season".
Leaves out or plays down
Gives no score or record for the Thunder game and does not discuss what the Lakers' playoff run might have been.
For example
“Luka Doncic opens up about his Lakers journey, offseason changes and what lies ahead as he enters another pivotal season.” — Newsweek
“The Lakers now need that lesson to translate into a healthier, more measured season.” — Newsweek

Right1 outlet

Framing
Looks back at the injury as a title-costing mistake, telling the story of the game and the playoffs that followed.
Emphasis
The 139-96 loss, the Lakers' 16-2 stretch, MVP talk, and the hypothetical of a title with a healthy Doncic and James.
Leaves out or plays down
Says little about Doncic's offseason, preseason return or teammates' comments.
Charged language
“took the red-hot Lakers to the woodshed”“The decision backfired”
For example
“a decision he says cost the Lakers a title” — Fox News
“Unfortunately for Dončić and the rest of the franchise, we’ll never know.” — Fox News