Luka Doncic joins a rare Lakers club with Kobe and Shaq as injury threatens Nikola Jokic partnership

LA Lakers star Luka Doncic has joined an exclusive club that includes both Lakers Hall of Famers Shaquille O’Neil and Kobe Bryant.

A scoring masterclass from the Slovenian on Monday night saw him put up 46 points in victory at the Chicago Bulls.

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Thats outstanding haul included eight three-pointers and means, in his 65th game, he becomes the quickest Laker to reach 2,000 points since his trade by the Dallas Mavericks last February.

His performance ties Shaq for most 45-point double-doubles in Lakers history and also joins Kobe as the only other Laker to record a 45-point double-double with at least eight three-pointers made in a single game.

It was the fourth match on the spin that the 26-year-old has scored more than 30 points. Topping the scoring charts with an average of 33.8 points per game, just shading reigning NBA MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on 32.1 average points.

As he approaches the one-year anniversary of his arrival in Los Angeles, Doncic’s achievements now – statistically at least – put him alongside some of the Lakers greatest of all time.

Kicking off an inevitable question about whether he has what it takes to enter a future Lakers Mount Rushmore discussion. 

In the post-match news conference his coach JJ Redick admitted he has to wrestle with some of the more anxious moments his star player gives him. 

“He’s an engine that’s fully on and he likes to create out there and that’s part of what makes him a great player,” he said.

“Because I played with him, I have a pretty good understanding of that – not to say it doesn’t test your patience at times.

“You have to be willing to live with some of the stuff he tries because more often than not you will get a great result.”

Doncic will hope his blazing scoring streak continues into February’s new-look All Star weekend in Los Angeles.

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The six time All Star, will return in 2026 after missing last year’s mid-season showpiece through injury and with the NBA’s format change looks likely to link-up with Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic. 

With the NBA introducing a format pitting Team World against two different Team USA squads, it could mean we get to see both players suiting up in the same colors for the first time since 2023.

When asked Doncic was noticeably excited about the opportunity: “Amazing, yes. I think everyone knows what kind of friend Nikola is.

“That is great. We will be in LA, so we will probably spend time off the court together,”

However, Jokic faces a battle to be fit for the All-Star game.

The Serb is currently recovering from a knee injury that may keep him in street clothes for the midseason showpiece.

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The three-time MVP was originally diagnosed to be sidelined for four weeks, but has since missed the Nuggets’ last 15 games with the threat of a longer spell on the sidelines.

Nonetheless. with a stacked Team World roster, Doncic will have the comfort of playing with some of the NBA’s best talent On Team World.

That includes Canada’s reigning MVP Gilgeous-Alexander and San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama – the French sensation who has taken the league by storm.

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