Luka Doncic Gets Fan Ejected for Taunting Female Ref

Luka Doncic had a fan ejected during Wednesday night's game for a disrespectful act toward a female referee.

The incident happened late in the third quarter of the Los Angeles Lakers' 116-103 win over the Sacramento Kings at Golden 1 Center in Sacramento, California.

After a loose ball went out of bounds, a courtside fan grabbed it and threw it back with excessive force directly at referee Chelisa Painter.

The ball hit Painter, who was not expecting it.

Doncic saw the entire exchange and immediately reacted.

"What the f*ck are you doing?"

Doncic appears to say in video footage of the moment.

The Slovenian superstar then signaled to security, who escorted the fan out of the arena.

"He just tossed it really strong — the ball — toward the ref," Doncic said after the game, via ESPN's Anthony Slater.

"I just asked him what the hell he's doing."

Play resumed shortly after the commotion, and the Lakers went on to win their third straight game.

Doncic finished the night with 40 points on 11-of-23 shooting from the field, including six 3-pointers and 12-of-13 from the foul line.

He also added nine rebounds and seven assists.

Austin Reaves chipped in 21 points for the Lakers, who improved to 7-2 on the season.

This was Doncic's sixth straight game with at least 35 points.

He has played in eight of the Lakers' nine games this season and has scored 308 total points.

That makes him the first player to top 300 points in his first eight games of a season since Michael Jordan had 303 in the 1988-89 season.

The only player who has scored more points in his first eight games of a season was Wilt Chamberlain, who did it three times with a high of 418 points in 1962-63.

Doncic currently leads the league in scoring with 38.5 points per game.

Lakers head coach JJ Redick praised Doncic's hot start.

"Probably this and the entire month of March last year," Redick said when asked about Doncic's best scoring stretch.

"I think that back-to-back we had where he closed out Houston ... then we went to Miami and got in at 4 a.m., and then he had 60, I mean, that stretch was pretty magical for him, but he's playing great right now."

Reaves joked that Doncic could have scored even more Wednesday night.

"He could've had 60 if he wasn't asleep in the first quarter," Reaves told reporters.

"He's scored 70 in a game. He's good. He's a good basketball player. He's been doing this since he was 19."

Doncic's strong start comes after a season-ending Grade 2 hamstring injury on April 2 of last season.

He spent the entire offseason recovering, even skipping international FIBA play for his home country of Slovenia.

When asked if this is the best he has ever felt physically, Doncic was cautious.

"I don't know, honestly," Doncic told USA TODAY Sports.

"Too early to tell, you know. But I look back and I had a whole summer to recover. A lot of stuff that I couldn't do last maybe eight years. So maybe that's where the energy is coming from."

The fan ejection incident has drawn attention beyond the box score.

Doncic's decision to intervene on behalf of a referee — particularly a female official — has been praised by many across the NBA community.

Video of the exchange circulated widely on social media after the game.

The fan's identity has not been released, and it is unclear whether the arena or the NBA will take further action.

Under NBA rules, fans who interfere with game operations or engage in abusive behavior can face ejection, suspension of season tickets, or even a ban from the arena.