NBA: Luka Doncic Faces Backlash Over Courtside Fan Incident During Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings Game

Bill Simmons comments on Luka Doncic's behavior© Image Via Ndtv Gallery

The Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 116–103, but a courtside incident involving Luka Doncic and referee Chelisa Painter became a talking point after the game. With 2:35 left in the third quarter at Golden 1 Center, a spectator picked up the ball that had gone out of bounds and threw it towards Painter, reportedly hitting her arm. Doncic turned towards the fan and questioned the way he had thrown the ball. The spectator was later escorted out.

Fans React Strongly to the Courtside Incident During Los Angeles Lakers vs. Sacramento Kings Game

This particular video got people talking after the sports commentator, Mike D'Addino, posted the video along with the following comment: "Fan gets kicked out for passing ball to ref??" This caused many people to wonder why a fan would be thrown out for giving back the ball to the referee. There were even more spectators wondering if the situation would have gotten worse without Luka Doncic's reaction.

The event attracted various opinions on social media platforms, with some fans raising questions about Doncic's reaction. Some felt that the event was exaggerated and that the fan might have just been returning the ball with no ill intentions. Others were more direct in their criticism of Doncic, stating that his reaction was unacceptable and he should apologize for the same. One person in particular mentioned how his reaction was very weak.

“This whole thing feels like a big fkn miscom, and it's embarrassing for everyone BUT the guy who clearly didn't throw that ball with some sort of malicious intent, idk,” one wrote.

“@lukadoncic needs to make this right. This is totally unacceptable,” one said, tagging Doncic himself.

“One of the weakest things I've ever seen,” another one wrote.

Others also felt the same, as they complained about the way the NBA handled the situation. One X user admitted that the fan had been throwing the ball rather aggressively but insisted that the ref would not have overreacted in such a way if it weren't for Doncic's involvement. Another agreed and mentioned that none of the other people around seemed too bothered by the situation until Doncic got involved.

“@NBA is a complete joke these days,” one said.

“Just to clarify. Did the pass have some sauce on it? Yes. Would the ref have reacted that way if Luka didn't get upset? I don't think so. Should this be an ejection? IMO... no,” one furiously clarified.

“I saw this yesterday – and it's important to note that not one single fan around the man reacted like they had witnessed anything egregious. I don't even think the ref did either until the knight got involved,” stressed another one.

Luka Doncic's Previous Courtside Incident Led to a Rescinded Technical Foul

The event happened with 2:35 left in the third quarter at Golden 1 Center. Immediately after that, Dončić challenged the fan about what he was doing. The entire thing was caught on video and then spread on the Internet as the star's response to a game where the Lakers won 116-103 against the Sacramento Kings.

This wasn't the first time. There is one other event involving Doncic in April 2025 in which he was ejected from a game against the Oklahoma City Thunder after an exchange between a courtside fan and him. The referee thought the entire event was targeted at him and gave Doncic another technical. The NBA then canceled the technical on the grounds that the events were misunderstood.