Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncicwill miss his fourth straight game on Thursday due to a hamstring injury. Doncic won't play against his former team, the Dallas Mavericks, which is the Lakers' final game before the 2026 NBA All-Star Weekend. This puts a question mark on his status for his sixth All-Star appearance on Sunday.
The 75th edition of the All-Star Game will be Doncic's first appearance since missing it last season. Due to a calf injury, he missed some time for the Mavericks and wasn't voted to be an All-Star.
With one game left before the break, Doncic's potential participation remains unanswered.
Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Ahead of the Lakers' game against the Mavericks, coach JJ Redick was asked about Doncic's status for the All-Star Game. However, Redick did not give an elaborate update on the NBA star. According to ESPN's Dave McMenamin, all the coach said was that the five-time All-NBA's condition for the event is above his pay grade.
However, he did say that Doncic "should be good to go" following the All-Star break.
Luka Doncic Could Make a "Token Appearance" at the All-Star Game
While Doncic's status remains unknown, McMenamin suggested that the Lakers star could make a "token appearance" at the event. The insider said on SportsCenter that the Slovenian star could do what the late Kobe Bryant did in 2008. Bryant was on the floor for only three minutes due to a dislocated finger.
"Perhaps that would be what we get from Luka on Sunday if he doesn’t feel fully recovered from that hamstring," McMenamin said.
The ESPN reporter added that Doncic's mild hamstring strain "usually comes with a diagnosis of rest and recovery of about 7-10 days." McMenamin added that the recovery period will include the All-Star Game on Sunday.
Doncic has appeared in 42 games, averaging 32.8 points (leads the NBA), 7.8 rebounds and 8.6 assists. The Lakers star also led the league in All-Star votes with 3,402,967 total fan votes.