A courtside fan throws the ball at referee Chelisa Painter and is escorted out of Kings-Lakers, after Luka Dončić flags security: ‘I just asked him what the hell he’s doing’

A courtside fan was escorted out of Golden 1 Center in Sacramento on Wednesday night after he threw the ball hard at referee Chelisa Painter, and Luka Dončić was the player who made sure arena security saw it. The incident came with 2:35 left in the third quarter of the Lakers’ 116-103 win over the Kings, after a Kings turnover sent the ball out of bounds near the baseline.

Dončić, who finished with 40 points, nine rebounds and seven assists, pointed at the fan and appeared to say something to him. He then signalled to security. The fan was walked out, the game resumed without a delay, and Dončić checked on Painter, who gave him a thumbs-up. Neither the Lakers nor the Kings had issued a statement naming the fan as of Thursday morning.

Luka Doncic helped get a courtside fan removed tonight after he fired the ball at an official.

Luka postgame: "He just tossed it really strong — the ball — toward the ref. I just asked him what the hell he's doing."

Here is the soundbite/sequence/removal. pic.twitter.com/1iae3ByYi4

— Anthony Slater (@anthonyVslater) November 5, 2026

What Dončić said

Asked afterward what he said to the fan, “He just tossed it really strong, the ball, toward the ref,” he said. “I just asked him what the hell he’s doing.” Painter deflected the throw with her hands, and the sequence appeared to end there.

A referee in her first weeks on the full-time staff

Painter is one of three officials the league promoted from the G League to the full-time NBA staff for the 2026-27 season, along with Nate Cearley and Brent Haskill, as we reported in our story on the promotions. The league made the announcement on Oct. 14. Wednesday’s game was early in her first full-time season.

Fan behavior toward officials is a recurring subject for the league, which has treated flopping, challenges and missed calls as part of one running conversation about officiating this season. We have followed those threads in our flopping tracker and in the league’s account of two late calls it said were wrong. A ball thrown at an official is a different category of problem, one of safety for the people working the floor.

The game and what comes next

Dončić has now scored at least 40 points in three straight games, with 40 against the Kings after 42 against Miami on Monday, and the Lakers have won three in a row to move to 7-2. Sacramento, led by Darius Acuff Jr.’s 22 points and 12 assists, fell to 1-7 and is 0-3 at home. The Lakers host Portland on Friday in NBA Cup play.

We will follow any word from the league or the Kings about the fan on our Around the league page.