Luka Doncic's ejection in the fourth quarter changed the course of the Tuesday night's game for the Los Angeles Lakers. What was a one-point game at the time of his second technical foul ended up as a 136–120 loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
After the game, Doncic addressed the situation that led to his unceremonious ejection, and he confirmed that it was indeed a Thunder fan in the crowd that was the target of his comments. He added that it was a misinterpretation of the exchange on the part of referee J.T. Orr.
"I never got a fan ejected. Never. I think, let them talk and I'm gonna talk back like always. It had nothing to do with the ref, so I don't really understand."
Luka Doncic on his ejection: pic.twitter.com/Wn5VTSszhE
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) April 9, 2025
Orr appeared to think Doncic was talking to him when he was actually chirping at a member of the crowd, resulting in the official issuing a second technical to the 26-year-old. In reality, it was Oklahoma City fan Jeremy Page with whom Doncic was going back and forth. Page confirmed as much to ESPN's Dave McMenamin after the game, even adding that he and Doncic have had similar exchanges in the past.
Doncic has never shied away from engaging in some banter with heckling fans while on the road, and what appeared to be just another case of precisely that quickly escalated into a second technical foul and an ejection by Orr.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Luka Doncic Explains His Perspective of Exchange With Fan That Got Him Ejected.
