Lakers Luka Doncic returns to one of the best things in my life in epic fashion

SACRAMENTO — That is what Luka Doncic has missed.Not post-practice shooting.Not transition drills where players have to successfully fill their lanes on a fastbreak. But the opportunity to play basketball against an opponent after going several months without doing so.And after six months away from competitive games, Doncic finally got to experience that feeling again, scoring 21 points on 5-of-12 shooting in 16 first-half minutes during the Lakers’ 127-103 preseason-opening win over the Kings on Monday night at Golden 1 Center.“Luka, he’s many things, many good things – he’s not really a drill guy in practice,” coach JJ Redick said.

“Whenever practice starts, he’s just ‘Are we playing live today?’ Like ‘When is live? When is live?’ He wants to play.He likes the competition, he likes the way live action looks and feels to him.

He just has a real joy for playing the actual game of basketball. He certainly works on his game.The guy works every single day on his game.

But that’s his joy –  playing live basketball.”And for the longest stretch of time since he entered the NBA in 2018, Doncic wasn’t able to experience that joy for most of 2026.A severe left hamstring injury he suffered during the Lakers’ loss to the Thunder on April 2 in Oklahoma City ended his 2025-26 season early.Doncic missed the final five regular season games and the Lakers’ 10 playoff games before being swept by the Thunder in the second round. And unlike most summers, Doncic didn’t play for the Slovenian national team during the offseason so he could focus on spending time with his two daughters amid an ongoing custody battle with his ex-fianceé, Anamaria Goltes.Which led to Doncic going just over six months – 184 days to be exact – without playing in an official basketball game. “I missed it a lot,” Doncic said.

“Basketball is one of the best things in my life, and I missed it a lot.Being back for the games, being competitive, it’s jus...