Ric Flair Calls Out Lakers' Luka Doncic for Missing Thunder Playoff Series
The Los Angeles Lakers have been unable to find any answers for the reigning NBA champion Oklahoma City Thunder in their second-round playoff series, as they now face a 3-0 deficit.
Saturday night marked the Lakers’ first game in Los Angeles, but home-court advantage only went so far. While LeBron James and company took a slim lead into halftime, it was the same story as their previous game, with OKC pulling away to win by double digits.
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander scored 23 points to go with nine assists, while teammate Ajay Mitchell contributed 24 points with 10 assists. Chet Holmgren and Isaiah Hartenstein also had near double-doubles in the Thunder’s 131-109 victory.
The Lakers received strong performances from multiple players, with Rui Hachimura’s 21 points leading the way. LeBron chipped in 19 points, eight assists, and six rebounds, with guard Austin Reaves finishing with 17 points and nine assists.
Still, Luka Doncic’s absence due to injury concerns has been the significant talking point of this series, and rightfully so, given his strong numbers and MVP contention this past season.
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And someone who has been quite expressive about Luka not playing is wrestling legend, “The Nature Boy” Ric Flair, who again took to social media to call out the Lakers star.
“There Is Only One Word That I Can Possibly Say, And That's DISAPPOINTED. 46 Million Dollars, And You Can't Play. OMG, I Would Jump Off The Empire State Building With A Parachute For 46 Million Dollars A Year, And I Don't Even Know How To Pull The Cord To Open It- But I Would Take My Chances,” Flair wrote in an X message on Saturday night.
The Lakers star hasn’t played since April 2 due to a Grade 2 left hamstring strain, which he suffered against this same Thunder team in a regular-season game. He’s mentioned it’s been a more difficult injury to deal with than before.
He averaged 33.5 points, 8.3 assists, and 7.7 rebounds a game this past season, which is a lot for this team to be without against a powerhouse like the defending champs. He’s indicated he ramped up some of his physical activities for a potential return, but it’s not really up to him to decide.
Luka also expressed his frustrations with the injury. While speaking to the media, he said he wants to be playing rather than watching the games from the bench, which he did as LeBron and the Lakers advanced past the Houston Rockets, and now as they struggle against the OKC Thunder.
He’s also not the only major star to miss games for his team in these NBA Playoffs, as Jayson Tatum, Joel Embiid, and Kevin Durant have all missed games, with their teams either eliminated or on the brink of elimination.
SGA and Oklahoma City have a chance to put this Lakers team out of their misery on Monday night, with the potential sweep seeming highly probable.
While it will be a disappointing way for the Lakers’ season to end, it won’t hurt the team’s relationship with Luka Doncic, and Flair, known for getting a bit wild with his remarks, will likely find something else to rant about in the offseason.
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This story was originally published May 10, 2026 at 7:37 PM.