Despite being underdogs, the Los Angeles Lakers jumped to a 7-0 run. But they couldn’t sustain their scoring as the Oklahoma City Thunder won 108-90. LeBron James’ heroic effort felt short, and he emphasized the gap that teammate Luka Doncic has left due to his injury. But not every fan is sympathetic towards the Slovenian. WWE legend Ric Flair called out the 6x All-Star and even urged the governor to make a bold decision.

“Luka @lukadoncic , Please Get In The Game! Take A Shot Of Cortisone And Deal With The Pain! They Are Paying You 50 Million A Year, And You’re Not There! WTF!” Frustrated by a Game 1 loss in the Conference Semifinals, Flair publicly urged Lakers governor Jeanie Buss to trade the Slovenian. “I Hope @JeanieBuss Trades You Next Year. Nobody Wants A Lame Duck On Their Team!” It’s been a month since the 27-year-old suffered a Grade 2 hamstring injury in Oklahoma. Since then, he went to Spain, received multiple injections, including platelet-rich plasma (PRP) and stem cell treatments, to accelerate healing.

Despite this, he missed the entire series against the Rockets and will now be out to start this series against the Oklahoma City Thunder. “The Lakers are evaluating Doncic on a week to week basis with that grade two hamstring strength,” said ESPN’s senior insider Shams Charania on NBA Tip-Off. “So he’s missed about a month right now. One source told me in the last few days it’s still a slow path on Doncic’s recovery. He’s doing more and more on the court, but right now still not full-fledged running or full contact workouts.”

Since it’s a slow path, the Lakers are not risking any chance for a long-term injury. But the WWE legend sees it otherwise.

Ric Flair has been a die-hard fan of the Lakers and even called Magic Johnson a very close friend. He is passionate about matchups and last year in March 2025, when the Purple and Gold faced their arch rival Celtics, Flair was amped up. He added a post to hype up the Lakers and praised both LeBron James and Luka Doncic. “Laker Born, Laker Bred, Always Going To Die Laker Dead! LBJ @KingJames, You Are The Man! And @luka7doncic, You Aren’t Far Behind! Go @Lakers! Beat The @celtics! LFG! WOOOOO!” Despite the support, the Purple and Gold lost 101-111. And it was not Doncic’s fault.

The 6x All-Star was explosive with his 34 points. But from last year to the current scenario, Flair’s tone has dramatically shifted. Despite his anger toward Luka, Flair remains a staunch supporter of LeBron James and celebrates him on Instagram. “LeBron @kingjames! Tonight, You And The @lakers Will Make History! So Much Respect For You! LFG! WOOOOO!”

The wrestling legend has a long-standing history of supporting LeBron James, even introducing him to the Staples Center (now Crypto.com Arena) crowd with his signature “WOOOOO!”. He has consistently argued that James’ best years have been with the Lakers. While he views Bron as the cornerstone, the 41-year-old is surrounded by exit rumors. On the other hand, Jeanie Buss has been on record as being grateful for trading for Luka, so it doesn’t seem she will part ways so soon. Especially when the team desperately needs him.

LeBron James is missing Luka Doncic

The Lakers struggled offensively, scoring just 90 points in a 108-90 loss on Tuesday. It was the fourth game in a row in this year’s playoffs, where the Purple and Gold scored less than 100. After the game, when asked about the Lakers’ offensive issues against OKC, LeBron James emphasized Luka Doncic’s absence as the biggest reason.

“When you play against the world champions and [miss] having a guy that averages 34 [points], eight [rebounds], and nine [assists], and is that special, that’s [a major piece missing],” James said. The 4x NBA champion finished with game-high scores of 27 points on 12-of-17 shooting, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc, along with 4 rebounds and 6 assists. While Bron was firing on all cylinders, his teammates didn’t. Especially Austin Reaves, who scored just 8 points, 5 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 block.

It was his third game back from the injury, and he looked rusty. In fact, it was not even 4 minutes into the game; he was holding his right knee. Bron will be hoping that AR and his other teammates contribute more.