Luka Doncic had the perfect view as a fan was ejected from the Los Angeles Lakers’ 116-103 win over the Sacramento Kings for throwing the ball at the referee.
Doncic continued his incredible start to the 2026-27 NBA season by dropping 40 points, nine rebounds, and seven assists in the Lakers’ win over the Kings.
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While the 27-year-old guard improved his season averages to 38.5 points, 8.1 rebounds and 8.0 assists, he also saw a fan’s wild behaviour toward a woman referee backfire in the worst possible way.
Luka Doncic was stunned to see a fan throw the game ball at the referee
Doncic was asked by Anthony Slater after the game about the interaction between the referee and the fan, with the 27-year-old guard clearly surprised to see a fan behave that aggressively with a referee.
“He just tossed it really strong — the ball — toward the ref. I just asked him what the h— he’s doing.”
Fan conduct, especially for the ones who sit near the courtside area, is crucial for the NBA to ensure games are not disrupted. A fan throwing the game ball as hard as possible at the baseline referee would definitely constitute a disruption.
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It is unclear if the fan was also aiming words at the referee during the game, but even if the ball-throw was his only infraction, it is completely understandable.
The NBA has seen an uptick in women referees over the last few seasons, with many fans initially treating them with hostility for several reasons. Keeping that in mind, the league will definitely empower officials to make decisions like tossing fans out for potentially disrespectful behaviour.
The incident did not affect Doncic’s performance in the slightest, as the Slovenian sensation dominated. He did observe the entire exchange between the fan and the referee, even checking up on the referee, but he did not let this distract him from another dominant night this season.
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Disclaimer : This story is auto aggregated by a computer programme and has not been created or edited by DOWNTHENEWS. Publisher: Sports.yahoo.com
