Luka Doncic injury history in his first 5 NBA seasons

Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic
Dallas Mavericks, Luka Doncic | Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Dallas Mavericks superstar Luka Doncic has played in 314 of 371 possible regular season games in his first four-plus seasons in the NBA. He appeared in 50 of the 60 contests before the All-Star break this season, and the 23-year-old just keeps getting better.

Luka leads the league in scoring at the All-Star break. He started his third All-Star game this year and made his fourth appearance. Number 77 is well on his way to a fourth first-team All-NBA selection, and the addition of Kyrie Irving has the Mavs thinking championship.

To make a deep run, Dallas will need Luka and Kyrie both healthy and playing their best, so here is a look back at everything that has forced Doncic to miss time in his first five NBA seasons starting with his most recent injury.

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Luka Doncic left thight strain, March 2023

Doncic played through this injury for more than week before aggravating in a March 8 loss to the Pelicans. Number 77 exited in the third quarter, and the strain forced him to miss five games before he returned to action on March 22.

Luka Doncic right heel injury, February 2023

Luka suffered a heel injury in the Feb. 2 game against the Pelicans. New Orleans was playing a zone defense, so Doncic attacked the basket only to be met by Brandon Ingram and Jonas Valanciunas. He took a hard fall that cost him four games and just over a week of action. 

Luka Doncic left ankle sprain, January 2023

Doncic sprained his left ankle just three minutes into the Jan. 26 game against the Suns, and he was unable to return. It was the first scoreless game of his NBA career, but Luka only missed one game before dropping 53 points on the Pistons just four days later.

Luka Doncic right quad strain, December 2022

Number 77 missed the Dec. 17 game in Cleveland with a right quad strain. He returned two days later but did not look to be himself before going on a tear. This was a minor injury that would have been easy to forget.

Luka Doncic left calf strain, April 2022

Doncic suffered a calf injury in the regular season finale against the Spurs that cost him nearly two weeks of action. He missed the first three games of the Mavs' first-round playoff series against the Jazz with Jalen Brunson leading them to two wins. Luka hit the ground running after his return as he piloted Dallas to the conference finals.

Luka Doncic toe injury, March 2022

LD missed one game on March 5 with a toe injury before returning two days later and dropping a 35-point double-double on the Jazz.

Luka Doncic right ankle injury, January 2022

Luka missed a Jan. 7 win over the Rockets with a right ankle injury. It cost him just one game before returning with a 22-point triple-double in a victory over the Bulls.

Luka Doncic left ankle and health and safety, December 2021

Doncic missed ten straight games from Dec. 12 to Dec. 31. He re-injured his left ankle in a Dec. 10 loss to the Pacers. The injury cost him five games before he entered the health and safety protocols which forced him to sit an additional five games.

Luka Doncic left ankle injury, November 2021

Austin Rivers rolled up on Luka’s left ankle in the closing seconds of a Nov. 15 win over the Nuggets. The sprain cost him three games and just over one week of action.

Luka Doncic left elbow injury, April 2021

Doncic missed one game with a left elbow injury in April 2021. It was minor, and he immediately bounced back with a 31-point triple-double in a narrow win over the Wizards.

Luka Doncic back injury, March 2021

LD missed a back-to-back set in March 2021 with lower back tightness. He returned two days later as he led the Mavericks to a blowout win over the Thunder.

Luka Doncic left quad injury, January 2021

Luka missed one game at the start of the 2021-2022 season with a left quad contusion. He returned on the second night of a back-to-back to drop a 33-point triple-double on the Rockets.

Luka Doncic left thumb injury, March 2020

Doncic injured his thumb in a Feb. 26 win over the Spurs. He played through the injury the following game against the Heat before missing one game on March 1. Luka returned the following night with it wrapped and showed no lingering effects.

Luka Doncic right ankle injury, January 2020

He injured his ankle in practice on Jan. 30 and the moderate sprain forced him to miss seven games and just over two weeks of action. He returned in the final game before the All-Star break with a 33-point double-double.

Luka Doncic right ankle injury, December 2019

Luka suffered a right ankle sprain less than two minutes into the Dec. 14 game against the Miami Heat. The injury cost him four games and 12 days of action.

Luka Doncic right knee injury, March 2019

Number 77 missed five of the final seven games during his rookie campaign with swelling in his right knee. The Mavericks were out of the playoffs, and Luka did post a 21-point triple-double in Dirk Nowitzki’s final home game.

Luka Doncic right ankle injury, February 2019

Doncic missed a Feb. back-to-back during his rookie season with a sore right ankle. It was his first of four right ankle injuries during his first five NBA seasons.

Luka Doncic right hip injury, December 2018

The first missed game of Luka’s NBA career came on Dec. 2, 2018. A right hip injury forced him to sit out in a win over the LA Clippers, and he returned two nights later with 21 points in a victory over the Blazers.

Breakdown of injuries Luka Doncic has suffered in his first 5 NBA seasons

Here is a breakdown of every game Luka has missed during his NBA career thus far, including the three postseason games he sat out in 2022 with a calf injury.

Right ankle: 4 injuries with 14 games missed

Rest: 12 games missed

Left ankle: 3 injuries with 9 games missed

Health and safety protocols: 1 absence with 5 games missed

Right knee: 1 injury with 5 games missed

Right heel: 1 injury with 4 games missed

Left calf: 1 injury with 3 games missed

Back: 1 injury with 2 games missed

Right quad: 1 injury with 1 game missed

Toe: 1 injury with 1 game missed

Left elbow: 1 injury with 1 game missed

Right quad: 1 injury with 1 game missed

Left thumb: 1 injury with 1 game missed

Right hip: 1 injury with 1 game missed

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