Schröder finds out fate for Doncic confrontation: what games will Kings star miss?

As reported by Shams Charania, Dennis Schröder has been handed a three-game suspension for attempting to assault an opposing player – later identified as Luka Doncic.

The penalty stems from an incident that occurred 40 minutes after the final horn, following a December 28 game in which the Los Angeles Lakers beat the Sacramento Kings 125–101 at the Crypto.com Arena. The Slovenian’s identity was initially withheld before being confirmed by Chris Haynes.

What had already been a tense night escalated throughout the game. Doncic and Schröder were repeatedly seen arguing during Sacramento’s defeat, and during a timeout the Lakers star mocked his counterpart by telling him, “You should have signed that contract.” The jab referenced the four-year, $82m extension Schröder turned down with the Lakers several years ago – a decision that ultimately cost him financially when comparable offers failed to materialize in free agency.

Tempers appeared to cool at the buzzer, but the situation reignited in the tunnel. Schröder left the visiting locker room, spotted Doncic near the Lakers bench and confronted him again, this time escalating from verbal abuse to an attempted physical attack. According to reports, DeAndre Ayton intervened to pull Schröder away as a visibly shaken Dončić tried to leave amid security presence.

The Kings guard was escorted to the team bus while head coach Doug Christie and several teammates sought clarity over the sudden flare-up. Doncic, meanwhile, walked out with his father and left the arena, effectively bringing the incident to an end.

The NBA suspension means Schröder will be unavailable when Lakers and Kings meet again on Monday, a game sandwiched between those against the Rockets and the Knicks.

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