WWE icon Ric Flair argued that he wrestled with a broken ankle and "don't have much sympathy" for Luka Doncic's hamstring injury.
Ric Flair has finally broken his silence over his impassioned yet scathing criticisms of Luka Doncic in the wake of the challenging second-round series of the Los Angeles Lakers against the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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Appearing on Yahoo Sports Daily!, the WWE icon argued that he isn't convinced enough about the hardships of Doncic's current hamstring complication, considering that he wrestled with an injured ankle back in his heyday.
"Not being hard on Luka Doncic, I’m just having fun," Flair said. "I’m such a Laker fan and I honestly believe, of course, I don’t know anything about the extent of his injury, but when I first saw it, I did the same thing to the 49ers quarterback a couple years ago. I said, 'Get back in the game, man.'
"I've taken a cortisone shot and wrestled with a broken ankle, so I don't have much sympathy for the hamstring."
He first jabbed Doncic in the aftermath of the Lakers' Game 1 loss against OKC, even saying that Lakers owner Jeanie Buss should trade him next year. Flair followed up his rant after the Lakers' brutal defeat at home in Game 3.
Doncic notably went down with a Grade 2 left hamstring strain in early April. Despite traveling to Europe to seek specialized medical treatment and earlier reports of optimism that he would return sooner than anticipated, he remains ineligible to play for the Lakers.
He has been ruled out already for Game 4, as the Lakers are facing a win-or-go-home scenario on Monday against OKC.
In the end, Flair made it clear that he also understands the concern of the Lakers for Doncic's condition.
"I know they protect their future, and I don’t blame them for that," he clarified. "They’ve got guaranteed money.
"I’ve known George Mikan. I’ve been a Laker fan that long."
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