Luka Dončić Fires Off at Refs As Fans Question In-Game Officiating vs. Bulls

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Luka Dončić has never been one to hold back when it comes to arguing with the referees. However, during the Lakers’ loss against the Bulls, he let them have it.

Dončić was none too pleased with the referees after a play that got a little physical wasn’t called against the Bulls. The Lakers broadcast managed to capture Dončić’s vulgar words.

Luka Dončić Yelled at Referees That He’d Hit Back if He Gets Hit

With five minutes and 25 seconds left in the third quarter, while heading into a timeout, Dončić was seen yelling at officials on the broadcast, screaming, “He hits me first, I’m gonna hit him back. That’s bulls***.”

This is likely in response to when the referees called Dončić for a technical foul not too long earlier after shoving Bulls wing Josh Giddey. Dončić was heated from some physical play from Bulls guard Kevin Huerter.

Lakers fans were not too pleased with how officials were letting contact slide. One fan shared the clip of Huerter pushing Dončić in the back, writing, “Hey refs, how many times are we gonna let Luka get two-hand pushed in the back?”

Another fan went even further, writing, “I’ve never seen refs hate a player more than they do Luka, lol.”

Dončić has a point in this specific instance. Huerter committed an obvious foul when he pushed Dončić in the back on a rebound. Making it even more frustrating, snaring the rebound gave Huerter the inside track to score an easy two points.

But two things work against Dončić. One, he is well-known for fussing at referees when something doesn’t go his way. Even though this instance featured a missed call, Dončić has complained about both calls and non-calls, becoming the bane of the referees’ existence at times. Two, Dončić is also well-known for selling contact and drawing fouls, which makes him harder to cover but can also make him trickier to referee in real time. 

Dončić had every right to be frustrated with the officiating, but that doesn’t give him the right to lash out at the other team’s defenders out of annoyance. The one lesson he needs to learn, which he hasn’t seven years into his NBA career, is that even if the referees missed the call, he can’t let it get to him, and he has to get his head back into the game.

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