Luka Dončić may be the NBA’s biggest superstar who hasn’t won a ring. Will he?
He got close, oh so close, with the Mavericks in the 2024 NBA Finals, but fell to the powerhouse Boston Celtics. Luka averaged 29 PPG in that series with 39 MPG on 47-24-59 splits (FG%, 3P%, FT%). Not great shooting numbers, but the reality is clear: the Mavericks wouldn’t have made it to the Finals without him.
Luca left it all on the court. For that, Mavericks fans adored him, and he earned respect from fans across the league.
Luka in Dallas (photo, Dallas Mavericks)
The reward? It was possibly the worst trade in NBA history. In February 2025, then-GM Nico Harrison traded Luka, Maxi Kleber, and Markieff Morris to the Lakers for Anthony Davis, Max Christie, and a 2029 1st-round pick. Dallas also received cash and a 2025 2nd-round pick from the Utah Jazz in the deal.
The trade came amid tension over Harrison’s attempts to rush Dončić back from an injury, and Harrison’s firing of staff that Luka both respected and trusted.
Christie is the only player from that deal still on the Mavericks’ roster. Luka, on the other hand, joined an exciting team with LeBron James and Austin Reaves. That year, LAL finished 3rd in the Western Conference (50-32) but lost 4-1 to the 6th-seeded Timberwolves in the 1st round of the playoffs. Luka averaged 30 PPG on 42 MPG, but that still wasn’t enough to push the team forward.
2025-26 started out great for Dončić. He put up MVP-level numbers until early April, when a Grade 2 left hamstring strain took him out of action. The injury was severe enough to keep him out of the playoffs. The Lakers were an up-and-down team following his loss, beating Houston in Round One, and then being swept by the Thunder in Round 2.
Luca in LA (graphic courtesy Bleacher Report’s Instagram)
Even with Luca, it’s unlikely that the Lakers would have made it to the championship round in June. Still, though, the overarching question remains: “Is Luka Dončić going to win a ring?”
The key to answering that question is his penchant for injuries. It’s the primary reason Luka has missed nearly 20% of his NBA games (138 of 707), including a career-high 34 games last season. Let’s face facts: the specter of injuries only increases as players age, especially for a player (like him) who is almost always near the top of the league’s list of minutes played per game.
Are the cards stacked against him? I hope not. Luka is one of the best NBA talents of all time, and he is certainly in the top echelon of contemporary players. He’s too good not to hoist one, and possibly more, championship trophies.
Only time will tell if he ever will.
