Luka Dončić looks like a superstar adrift at the Lakers

The Slovenian is one of the best players on the planet. But factors largely beyond his control have started to turn his career into a slog

Luka Doni must feel as though, these past few months, he's been twirling in a washing machine. He announced a separation from his fiancee in March; reports followed of a prolonged custody battle over their two daughters. As Doni plays in the NBA and his children live in Slovenia, he doesn't see them much as is. But after the reports of the rift with his ex emerged, he started playing some of the best basketball of his life: he led the Los Angeles Lakers to a 15-2 record in March, a stretch that included a torrential 60-point display against the Miami Heat. Behind Doni's brightening star, the Lakers seemed to be sharpening into a real contender. Then Doni tweaked his hamstring in April and the illusion shattered. He watched from the sidelines as the Lakers limped out of the playoffs with an inevitable second-round defeat to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Actually, Doni must feel as if he's been in turmoil for the past few years. He made his first - and so far only - NBA finals in 2024, leading the Dallas Mavericks there with a barrage of awesome shotmaking. As the best offensive player on the court while playing through multiple injuries, Doni and his Mavs lost to the far deeper Boston Celtics in five games. As thanks, the Mavericks traded Doni to the Lakers, citing defensive concerns, when what had really doomed them against the Celtics was that no one aside from Luka - who led his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals in that series - could play at the requisite level to win.