Doncic Confirms FIBA World Cup Absence as He Reflects on Frustrating Lakers Campaign

The 2025-26 NBA campaign was one of what might have been for Luka Doncic.

The 27-year-old ended the regular season with the highest points-per-game average in the NBA – reminding anyone who doubted that the Slovenian remains as one of the very best in the business.

But a hamstring injury, which prevented him from taking to the court for the Los Angeles Lakers in the playoffs, is of such severity that Doncic has confirmed he will take the summer off to recuperate – meaning he won't play in Slovenia's FIBA World Cup qualifiers.

Close But Not Close Enough

The Lakers were considered a lively underdog in the BB Gold sports betting odds, although that market proved to be highly predictive, with the Oklahoma City Thunder still favourites to win the NBA Championship deep into the playoffs.

While Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and co have their eyes on the prize, Doncic and his Lakers teammates will no doubt be contemplating what might have been had they taken their regular-season form into the postseason.

A 53-29 record in the Western Conference was pleasing enough, as was the 4-2 triumph over the Houston Rockets in the first round of the playoffs – a win achieved without the injured Doncic.

Without their talisman, the Thunder were always likely to prove too strong for the Lakers in the Conference semis. Indeed, the 4-0 scoreline was indicative of the gulf in class, with Oklahoma winning the first three games by a margin of 18 points or more.

All of which leaves plenty of time for reflection. For Doncic, it was another tremendous campaign, to the point that he was listed as fourth in the regular season MVP betting even after the campaign had finished.

For the Lakers as a team, there are reasons to be optimistic. Luke Kennard, Austin Reaves, and seven-footer Deandre Ayton are all in their late 20s and thus have scope to improve further, while Marcus Smart remains a defensive player of the highest calibre.

Even LeBron James, 41 years young, showed that he still has plenty left in the tank. We wait to see if he will return for the 2026-27 season.

Summer Holiday

Doncic can reflect on the positives of being surrounded by teammates who, just maybe, have the class to challenge for the NBA Finals next season.

First, it's a summer off to recuperate and spend time with his family… he'll take a watching brief for the FIBA World Cup qualifiers in July.

The good news is that Slovenia topped Group H in qualifying, and they should have the firepower to see off Estonia and Sweden in the summer fixtures even without Doncic.

Tougher challenges will follow in August, when the second round of the qualification campaign gets underway. Whether Doncic plays in those only he will know right now, but head coach Aleksander Sekulic will be very keen to have his kingpin on court.

After failing to qualify for the Olympic Games in 2024 and finishing a lowly seventh in EuroBasket the following year, everyone associated with Slovenian basketball will be demanding more from what is a crucial time for the team.