Luka Doncic has had no shortage of headlines this season—especially since his blockbuster trade to the Los Angeles Lakers in February. The 26-year-old star has averaged 27.1 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 7.6 assists since joining the Lakers and has formed one of the league’s most-watched duos with LeBron James. But it wasn’t his stats that made noise this week—it was his behavior.
Doncic was ejected in the fourth quarter of Tuesday night’s game against the Oklahoma City Thunder, a moment that sparked a 29-12 run by the Thunder to close out a 136-120 win.
With 7:40 left in the game, Doncic hit a jumper to give L.A. a one-point lead, then appeared to exchange words with a fan sitting courtside. Referee J.T. Orr interpreted it as verbal abuse directed at him and hit Doncic with his second technical foul, ending his night early.
After the game, Doncic insisted his comments weren’t aimed at the ref—but ESPN insider Brian Windhorst wasn’t buying it. On Wednesday morning’s episode of “Get Up”, Windhorst revealed what he called a troubling trend.
“He was ejected because he previously got a technical for profanely cursing at this exact same official,” Windhorst said. “And the reason the officials assumed he was cursing them out again is because Luka curses out officials almost on a nightly basis.”
The ESPN reporter didn’t stop there. Windhorst noted this wasn’t a one-off and placed some of the blame squarely on Doncic’s shoulders.
“He continues to have problems with this sort of stuff and continues to do the same thing,” Windhorst said. “The Lakers have every right to be upset about this, but Luka bears a lot of this responsibility.”
The ejection marked another chapter in an increasingly scrutinized pattern of behavior for Doncic—one the Lakers may not be able to afford as the playoff race intensifies.
