Following Luka Doncic’s technical foul in Friday’s win (his 16th of the season), there was some hope that the NBA might rescind the foul and avoid a suspension, just like they did after a recent game against the Pistons.
Today, however, the NBA confirmed that the ruling will be upheld, meaning Luka will have to serve a one-game suspension for surpassing the technical foul limit. That officially puts his status as unavailable for Monday’s game against the Wizards.
“Los Angeles Lakers guard Luka Doncic has been suspended one game without pay for receiving his 16th technical foul of the 2025–26 season,” wrote the NBA in a statement. “Under NBA rules, a player or coach is automatically suspended without pay for one game once he receives his 16th technical foul during a regular season. For every two additional technical fouls received during that regular season, the player or coach will be automatically suspended without pay for an additional game.”
Luka has been racking up technicals throughout the season thanks to repeated arguments with the officials. From throwing up money signs to making comments and being constantly combative, Doncic’s reputation is as bad as it gets when it comes to officiating, and it’s a miracle he lasted this long without getting suspended.
In fact, he would have been punished after the Pistons game on Monday had the NBA not rescinded the tech and freed him up to play against the Pacers and Nets. On that occasion, Doncic had been given the foul for chirping at Goga Bitadze, but it was eventually written off as a misunderstanding. This time, it was an altercation with Ziaire Williams that got Luka in trouble, and there wasn’t a chance they’d take this one back.
While it may have been soft in hindsight, there’s only so much that the NBA is willing to put up with. After arguing with the refs all year and losing his temper one too many times, it’s fair to say that Luka has earned this suspension, even though it will cost him over $300K.
Fortunately, this was probably the best possible game that Luka could have been suspended for. With upcoming battles against the Cavaliers, Warriors, Thunder, and Suns, this Wizards game is probably their easiest matchup left. At 17-56 (13th in the East), Washington is in full tank mode, and even a shorthanded Lakers team without Doncic should have no problem putting them away.
So, in the end, both Luka and the Lakers got off pretty easy here. While his wallet might be a little lighter, his absence/suspension likely won’t impact the Lakers’ record, and that’s important for a team still fighting for premium playoff positioning in the West. If Luka can just avoid picking up any more techs before the playoffs (seven games left), he should be good for the rest of the season. Once the last game ends next month, it will take seven technicals to earn a suspension, and not even the short-fused Luka Doncic is likely to pull that off.
