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Lakers' Luka Doncic reveals how he let LeBron James and LA down last season following injury

Nairavoice · Oct 11, 2026 · 2 min read

Lakers’ Luka Doncic reveals how he let LeBron James and LA down last season following injury originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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Luka Doncic is going to be on a mission this season, as he believes last year was difficult in several ways that were beyond his control. The superstar was one of the best offensive players in the game but also dealt with personal issues away from the court.

Doncic and his ex-fiancée separated, making it difficult for him to spend time with his two daughters.

“I didn’t see them almost the whole season. Yea I can’t go another season like that. You wanna spend time with your kids everyday. So last season was pretty hard. I saw them for 5 days in the whole season which is impossible to do. But you know I had to focus on basketball,” Doncic said.

However, Doncic also believes he hurt the Lakers during the playoffs last season when he suffered an injury. The franchise star feels he could have prevented the injury from becoming as serious.

“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,” Doncic said.

On Saturday, Doncic revisited those comments, explaining that he felt he had let the team down.

“I thought we had a team that could compete for a championship, so it was kind of disappointing, kind of let the team down, so it’s definitely motivating for this season,” Doncic told the media.

This season, the potential MVP will look to approach things differently and avoid pushing through an injury when doing so could make it worse. With LeBron James no longer on the roster, the Lakers will rely heavily on Doncic to lead the team.

Missing the playoffs always stings, especially when a team believes it has the pieces to make a deep run. Doncic will look to make the most of this season, as Los Angeles will need him available as often as possible.