Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic sent a message to fans after their season came to an end against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Doncic took to his personal Instagram account and shared this story following his team’s brutal Game 4 loss.
Luka IG story:Proud of my teammates who played SO hard in these playoffs.
Laker Nation we will be back
— Luka Updates (@LukaUpdates) May 12, 2026
“Proud of my teammates who played so hard in these playoffs,” Doncic wrote. “Laker Nation, we will be back.”
After the contest, Doncic spoke candidly about the injury and admitted how much it hurt not being able to be on the floor with his teammates.
“It’s very frustrating. I know some people wanted me back,” Doncic said. “But obviously, I wasn’t close to clearing. There was some stuff in the media that went out that wasn’t true. If I could be out there, I would be 100%.”
The Lakers were swept by the Thunder in the second round of the playoffs.
Lakers now focused on building around Luka Doncic
The 26-year-old superstar did not play in a single game in these playoffs as he was dealing with a Grade 2 hamstring injury. Doncic suffered the injury in Apirl 2 in a contest against the Thunder.
There was a slight chance that Doncic could have played in the second round, but he never truly progressed in his rehab. Instead, he was watching from the bench as L.A. could only muster four wins in the playoffs without their superstar.
When Doncic was on the court this season, he was among the favorites for MVP. In the season, Doncic averaged 33.5 points per game (leading the league in scoring), 8.3 assists, 7.7 rebounds and 1.6 steals in 64 games of action.
Prior to his injury, the Lakers were set to clinch the No. 3 seed in the West for the second consecutive season. However, they slipped to fourth, which had them on the same side as the Thunder in the bracket.
Now, the focus shifts to the offseason and how the Lakers plan to build the best roster possible around Doncic. It’s one of the biggest questions facing the franchise, and something they’ll have to get right heading into next season.
If the Lakers want to position themselves as legitimate title contenders, they’ll need to do everything possible this offseason to put the right pieces around Doncic.
However, it will also be on Doncic to remain healthy for the entire season and then some.
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