Luka Doncic’s talent and ability can never be downplayed, but there are aspects of his game that frustrate viewers and opposing teams alike. The All-NBA guard has been prone to complaining and lobbying for fouls since entering the league, but this season it has reached a new level.
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Doncic has made it a nightly occurrence, with analysts calling him out for standing and arguing with referees instead of getting back on defense to help his team. Fans are beginning to grow irritated with the habit and are pleading for him to rein it in. Some even believe it is starting to affect his legacy.
One of those voices is Max Kellerman, who recently joked that if Doncic ever got a statue, it would depict him asking for a foul.
“You know what Luka Doncic’s statue, if he ever gets one, outside of Crypto is going to be? It’s going to be like this,” Kellerman said as he held his arms out on the Game Over Podcast. “This is the Luka statue with his arms out. Every single trip down the floor, you’re complaining to the refs? Luka, every trip down the floor? Even when he hits the shot.”
Clearly, Kellerman is annoyed with the way Doncic has made a habit of begging for fouls throughout the season. It is completely normal for star players of his caliber to ask for fouls from time to time. But at times, it seems like he is asking for one far too often.
Max Kellerman RIPS Luka Doncic for always crying to the refs
“Luka statue is going to be him complaining to the refs. Every trip down the floor you are complaining to the refs. Every trip down the floor? Even when he hits the shot. No you are not going to get the and 1, it… pic.twitter.com/zEEMtkiLTs
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) February 23, 2026
Doncic once stated that he used to have a process for dealing with the refs in an interview four years ago. “I just start singing a song in my head,” Doncic told ESPN’s Tim MacMahon.
However, now it seems like the superstar has let that process go. The only thing that looks to be going through his mind after a bad call is disbelief. At times, it’s a fine reaction. But at other times, it can damage the team’s standing with the refs, and things can get out of hand from there.
What’s interesting is that Doncic has acknowledged his struggle with arguing with the refs in the past.
“I gotta stop this, I know it’s not right. But I think more than whining, it’s just wanting to win,” the Slovenian once told Stephen A. Smith.
This problem was seen on full display when he made the NBA Finals with the Dallas Mavericks. Brian Windhorst went on a legendary rant about his effort at the time and his focus on the officials, which still proves to be true today.
Whether Doncic will ever be able to kick this bad habit is a matter of his willingness to comply. As he has said, he just wants to win, and it comes out naturally. So he most likely will not stop complaining anytime soon.
If he can tone it down just a little bit, it could go a long way for the LA Lakers. At times, Doncic plays for calls instead of simply playing the game and taking the calls that come with it. But it has not stopped him from leading the league with 32.8 points per game this season.
