The Los Angeles Lakers were in Cleveland taking on the Cavaliers on Wednesday night, and while the attention was initially on LeBron James' return to the city, all the focus quickly went toward star guard Luka Doncic, who dealt with an apparent injury.
Doncic attempted a shot in the first quarter of the game and landed on his left foot and then hopped backwards. Because the Cavaliers' court is slightly elevated from the bench area, as Doncic backed up, he slipped off the side of the court unexpectedly.
Doncic began to favor his ankle and went to the bench before hobbling to the locker room.
Here are the latest injury updates for the Lakers star.
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Luka Doncic injury update
Doncic was able to return to the game in the first quarter after a brief trip to the locker room.
Doncic put up a shot in the first quarter. He faded away and backpedaled on the left foot he landed on. When he was backing up, he didn't know he was getting close to the edge of the elevated court and he unexpectedly went over the side.
Luka Doncic lands awkwardly on elevated court pic.twitter.com/dqrOwvTP42
— Ryan Dickison (@RyanDickison7) January 29, 2026
Doncic went to the bench before heading to the locker room for further evaluation.
Luka Doncic headed to the locker room, he landed awkwardly on his ankle after taking a shot and stepping off the edge of the court pic.twitter.com/ag6xbXZ17q
— Leah Doherty (@LeahDohertyTV) January 29, 2026
As the broadcast noted on a replay, it is a design flaw with the arena, and it has not been addressed. Maybe this injury to Doncic paves the way for a change to be made.
A design flaw in the court, has taken out Luka Dončić. I can’t stand CLEVELAND!
— AeroGant ✭ (@AeroGant) January 29, 2026
Pic.twitter.com/l2a2VkDDZn
After the loss, Doncic told reporters he was “lucky” to avoid a serious injury. “I kind of got scared. Wasn’t a great feeling,” he said. “Looking back at the video, I think I got a little bit lucky.”
Doncic also acknowledged the raised court as a potential problem, referencing a serious injury suffered by Dru Smith under similar circumstances on the same court in 2024. “It’s the only court that’s like this. I guess it’s my fault, so I stopped jumping like that,” Doncic said.
Lakers coach JJ Redick, meanwhile, took issue with the court as well. “It is absolutely a safety hazard, and I don’t know why it’s still like that,” Redick said, calling a potential change “way above my pay grade.”