Luka Doncic's latest recovery status: when will Lakers star return in NBA playoffs?

Lakers’ guard Luka Doncic injury update is keeping everyone on the edge of their seats.

The Slovenian superstar Luka Doncic was injured with a Grade 2 left hamstring injury on April 2 last month.

The hopes emerged after Doncic spent vacations in Europe where he received advanced medical treatment, but so far there are no signs of a potential return.

Lakers play-by-play radio announcer John Ireland revealed the latest injury status of luka Doncic on May 2, 2026 in a post on X (formerly Twitter).

Ireland wrote, He’s not close. He’s not running yet.”

After this injury update from a Lakers insider, Doncic’s availability has become the biggest storyline for the Lakers this postseason.

And with a crucial seven-game Western Conference Semifinals showdown against the defending champion OKC Thunder looming, LA stands no chance without their franchise guard, Luka Doncic.

Although Lakers have won the first three games of the series, they lost the last two, including a 99-93 loss in Game 5 of the NBA playoffs.

The Houston Rockets are eyeing becoming the first NBA team to win a Game 7.

It will mark the second time since Boston Celtics did it in the 2023 Eastern Conference Finals against the Miami Heat.

For context, all three previous NBA teams that pushed a series to a final game down 0-3 faced a defeat in Game 7.

If the Lakers move on, they will face the Thunder, a team that beat them four-times this season by an average of 22 points per game.

The Western Conference Semifinals series between OKC Thunder and LA Lakers is set to start next week on May 5, 2026.