Luka Doncic’s unfortunate hamstring injury may cost him more than he deserves at the annual awards.
After being a good but inconsistent team for most of the season, the Los Angeles Lakers have been one of the hottest teams in the NBA since the beginning of March. After a loss to the Denver Nuggets on March 5, LA won 13 of their next 14, including decisive wins over the New York Knicks, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Houston Rockets (twice).
This led to speculation that perhaps the Lakers could be a title contender in 2026. However, all of that was put in jeopardy on Thursday when Doncic suffered a hamstring injury that will now reportedly sideline him for at least the rest of the NBA regular season.
In a year when Doncic is averaging 33.5 points, 7.7 rebounds and 8.3 assists a night, and L.A. is playing so well, he’s positioning himself to win or be considered for several major year-end awards. But injury left him one game short of the 65-game minimum required to be eligible for those honors. However, the 6-time All-Star may miss out on something big this week.
Luka Doncic misses out on super max contract eligibility?
During a new edition of The Craig Carton Show, NBA analyst Tyrone Johnson brought up an interesting point. After being traded to the Lakers last year, Doncic agreed to a new three-year, $160 million contract. Johnson suggested he did so so he could reach the 65-game limit in 2025–26, and assuming he again earned All-NBA first-team honors, he would be eligible for a new super max contract in two summers.
Now, since he’s just shy of the minimum game, that means he won’t be eligible for a super max contract, and will miss out on making $200 million more in his next contract. While Doncic has made a pretty good amount of money during his career, that’s a big chunk of cash to miss out on for a star athlete.
Perhaps that’s why it has been reported that the 27-year-old superstar is planning to apply for the extraordinary circumstances challenge. Since he missed the first two games of the season due to the birth of his second child, he’s hoping the league will make an exception so he can still be eligible for year-end awards and that Super Max deal.
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