Luka Doncic and the Los Angeles Lakers appear to have suffered some magnitude of injustice during their Tuesday night loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, which was a one-point game until the star's ejection changed everything. Doncic, who had already picked up a technical earlier in the game, was assessed a second one even though it certainly appears his commentary was directed at a Thunder fan previously profiled in the local paper and not an official.
Before everyone involved in the situation got the chance to weigh in on it, the Lakers radio crew of John Ireland had Mychal Thompson had the first crack at it. And they got their money's worth.
"Oh, this is an absolutely horrible decision by J.T. Orr," Ireland said. "Absolutely horrible. You cannot throw a star player out of an NBA game for talking to a fan. You cannot do this. This is unconscionable."
Makes you think!
"This is one of the worst pieces of officiating I have ever seen and I have done this for 25 years," Ireland added. "I hate this call and I would say the same thing if they were doing it to Shai [Gilgeous-Alexander]."
"YOU CANNOT DO THIS!" 💢
— ESPN Los Angeles (@ESPNLosAngeles) April 9, 2025
John Ireland & Mychal Thompson were NOT HAPPY at Luka's ejection vs. the Thunder #LakeShow https://t.co/VFmf0Mt3lv pic.twitter.com/ijPgKg1Nfj
Thompson, for his part, was pretty calm, adding twice that Orr thought Doncic's comments were directed at him. A level-headed guy, that one.
More NBA on Sports Illustrated
This article was originally published on www.si.com as Lakers Radio Announcer Absolutely Loses It Over Bizarre Luka Doncic Ejection.
