Los Angeles Lakers fans may have avoided the worst after some bad news came from Europe about their superstar.
Luka Doncic has reportedly suffered a right knee contusion while suiting up for the Slovenian national team on Saturday, but according to Marc Stein, the injury is not believed to be serious.
The superstar guard has been training in Europe as internal teams gear up for EuroBasket, a continental basketball tournament set to begin on Aug. 27.
Doncic suffered the injury in an international friendly against Latvia, which Slovenia wound up losing 100-88. The incident occurred in the third quarter when a teammate crashed into Doncic while the team was on defence, dropping both to the ground with the teammate falling on Doncic’s knee.
The Lakers guard hobbled off the floor after the play, sat down on the baseline and asked to be subbed out of the game before being taken back to his team’s locker room.
It’s unclear how the injury will affect Doncic’s availability for the upcoming EuroBasket tournament, with Slovenia’s first game taking place on Aug. 28 against Poland.
Doncic missed significant amounts of time last season while dealing with calf and conditioning issues. He suited up for only 50 games — 28 of which came with the Lakers.
Despite the injury concerns and the whiplash of the mid-season trade to Los Angeles, the five-time All-NBA selection averaged 28.2 points, 8.2 rebounds and 7.7 assists.
