Towards the end of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers were hitting their groove. Luka Dončić, Austin Reaves, and LeBron James led a red-hot Lakers team that was climbing the rankings and rounding into form as a contender. As the playoffs neared, Dončić suffered a hamstring injury in a pivotal matchup against the defending champion Oklahoma City Thunder, which was ultimately diagnosed as grade 2.
In an interview with Sports Illustrated, Dončić expressed regret for that moment, believing that he should have stopped playing after the slight hamstring tweak.
“I should have,” Dončić said, “When it comes to my spirit of trying to win, I am just stubborn. I felt a little bit in the first half that I should have just stopped. I should have come out. I think we had a team that could compete for the championship. I definitely regret it.”
The Lakers went on to the postseason with injuries to both Dončić and Reaves, but beat the Houston Rockets in six games to advance to the second round against the Oklahoma City Thunder. James was a key player in both the Rockets and Thunder series, serving as the team's primary scorer and facilitator while its top two scorers nursed injuries.
Article Continues BelowEven after James's departure, Dončić spoke glowingly about his partnership with LeBron James and says that there was never any tension between the two.
“He just let me be me, and I really respect that. And the way he approached the game with us, it was unbelievable. It was very respectable. I had so much fun playing with him. And, like I said, I think we could have made some noise in the playoffs if me and AR don’t get injured. I think we had a chance.”