Luka Doncic Finally Breaks Silence on Recovery, And Lakers Fans Won't Like One Detail
It's been over a month since Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic went down with a Grade 2 hamstring injury, and there's still no concrete timetable for him to return to the floor during the NBA playoffs.
On Wednesday, following the Game 1 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the second round of the playoffs, Doncic broke his silence about the progress he's made since suffering the injury on April 2.
Luka Doncic Gives an Update on Status
Luka Doncic's first press conference since he injured his hamstring on April 2. He said his timeline to return to the #Lakers was 8 weeks. He's ramping up. But still a ways to go. pic.twitter.com/Qux41bcTO0
- Michael J. Duarte (@michaeljduarte) May 6, 2026
"Feeling good," Doncic told reporters, via Michael Duarte of The California Post. "Obviously, this is a different injury than I ever had. … I did the hamstring, obviously, way less. End of January, so recovery has been a little bit longer. But I'm feeling good, working every day, so I'm trying to come back.
"Right now I'm running, but I haven't done any contact."
It's a good sign that Doncic has progressed to running, as his conditioning will be a big part of his recovery and getting up to speed once officially cleared to play.
However, Doncic did admit that he was initially told his recovery timeline would be eight weeks, which is a bit longer than many predicted. Four to six weeks was what many anticipated, but clearly, that's not the case from the team doctor's assessment.
Luka's Initial Timeline for Recovery: ‘8 Weeks'
"The day I did the MRI on the hamstring, the doctor sold me eight weeks at the beginning," Doncic said. "So, I'm doing everything I can in the process. I think we're on a good way. But at the beginning, he told me eight weeks."
With Doncic initially being told the recovery process would take two months, that may have been the reason the veteran guard chose to go to Spain to try to accelerate it.
The league's leading scorer was asked about traveling to Spain for treatment and provided details about the process he underwent there.
"I went to Spain to do PRP," Doncic said. "Everybody knows that it's one of the best countries to do that. And obviously, we talked with the Lakers' doctors, so everybody agreed for me to go there.
"Obviously, I know I interest lots of people from Spain. I used to work before. But why I was in Spain so long is because I needed four days in between every shot. So I did it four times. That's why I stay longer."
The real question now is whether all the work Doncic has done to get back sooner than his initial timeline would have allowed will pay off, or if he's ultimately played his last game this season.
Only time will tell if Doncic can get back on the floor and help his team, as they face an uphill battle against the Thunder.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nba/lakers/onsi as Luka Doncic Finally Breaks Silence on Recovery, And Lakers Fans Won't Like One Detail.
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This story was originally published May 6, 2026 at 10:55 AM.