SACRAMENTO — Luka Dončić’s on-court awareness is as elite as it comes.
But the Lakers superstar was just as confused as everyone else at Golden 1 Center by a fan’s actions toward a game official Wednesday night.
“He just tossed – really strong – the ball towards the ref,” Dončić said. “I was just asking him what the hell is he doing?”
Late in the third quarter of the Lakers’ eventual 116-103 win over the Kings, a loose ball that came after Jarred Vanderbilt blocked Malik Monk’s 10-foot floater attempt dribbled out of bounds into the hands of a fan sitting baseline near the Lakers’ bench.
While multiple Lakers players and the nearest game official pointed in the opposite direction to signal it was going to be the Lakers’ possession, the male fan in a black jacket over a black t-shirt shirt and jeans threw a two-handed pass at referee Chelisa Painter.
No physical harm was done, with Painter bouncing the ball toward the ground, while Dončić looked and pointed at the fan, appearing to say, “what are you doing?”
Another fan at the arena took video of Dončić appearing to say, “What is wrong with you, man?” after the incident.
Arena security swiftly went to the fan and escorted him out of his seat with 2:35 left in the quarter before play resumed.
