Luka Dončić will sit out at least the first two games of the Los Angeles Lakers’ preseason, the team announced Friday (h/t ESPN’s Dave McMenamin).
The Lakers open the preseason on Friday night against the Phoenix Suns, then return to exhibition action Sunday at the Golden State Warriors.
McMenamin reported the Lakers are “being mindful of the long term” considering Dončić’s recent participation in EuroBasket. His home nation of Slovenia was eliminated from the quarterfinals of the tournament on Sept. 10.
The Lakers will play six total preseason games before opening the season against the Warriors on Oct. 21.
Dončić appeared in three preseason games last season with the Dallas Mavericks, the same total LeBron James played with the Lakers ahead of the 2024-25 season.
James will also sit out this year’s preseason opener, per McMenamin. He has been sidelined since the start of training camp this week with what head coach JJ Redick described “nerve irritation to the glute.”
Redick told reporters when speaking Tuesday about the injury he felt James “did too much” in last year’s preseason, and that the Lakers wanted to “play the long game” when helping him ramp up to the 2025-26 campaign.
The Lakers may be taking a similar approach with Dončić, who averaged more than 33 minutes on the court while playing seven EuroBasket games for Slovenia between Aug. 28 and Sept. 10.
Los Angeles will also open the preseason without Marcus Smart due to left Achilles tendinopathy, Maxi Kleber because of a quad injury and Adou Thiero due to swelling in his left knee, per McMenamin.
After this weekend’s set of games, the Lakers have six days off before the preseason continues on Sunday, Oct. 12 with a home rematch against the Warriors.
It is not yet clear if James and Dončić will get the chance to play together again before the regular season tips off later this month.