By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
Slowed down by a lingering left hamstring strain, Luka Doncic was limited to only five minutes, recording two points and two assists in the 2026 NBA All-Star Game. However, he confirmed he expects more playing time at the Intuit Dome, this season’s All-Star venue as well, during the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games.
“Many, many big events happening over here. I’ll be attending some of them, for sure,” mentioned the Slovenian superstar in a postgame interview after Sunday’s game.
The basketball tournament is scheduled from July 13 to 30, 2028, but Slovenia has yet to qualify. With the United States earning an automatic berth as the host nation, the remaining tickets are distributed between seven available at the FIBA World Cup 2027 and four in the ensuing FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournaments. To travel to Los Angeles, Slovenia would need to either rank among the top two European teams at the World Cup, after advancing through the European Qualifiers, or secure a spot through an OQT held between June 26 and July 2, 2028.
Doncic enjoyed the NBA’s new All-Star format, three mini-games followed by a championship round. Between Olympic dreams and this high-speed rejuvenation, he looked engaged.
“I think it was good. I think the game was a little bit better this year,” explained the Ljubljana native.
“They got one more game, but we didn’t make it,” he continued, referring to Team World being eliminated from the Final. “We had some injuries on our team again. We will be better next year, hopefully.”
Coming out of the All-Star break of the 2025–26 Regular
Season, the Los Angeles Lakers resume action against the Los Angeles Clippers at crypto.com Arena on Friday.
“It was good. Obviously, I wanted to go out there. The fans voted for me to be in this game, so I wanted to be there. I mean, a part of it a little bit, but it felt good,” said the 26-year-old combo guard regarding his injury status during the All-Star Game.
“We’ll see,” he added on whether he will play against the Clippers.
Pushing the Lakers to a 33–21 regular-season record, Doncic is averaging 32.8 points, 8.6 assists, 7.8 rebounds, 1.5 steals, and 0.5 blocks per contest.