It’s pretty rare to see Lakers star Luka Doncic cracking jokes with opponents during a game. However, his playful banter with Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg during the Lakers’ season opener on Wednesday provided a glimpse into his competitive spirit on the court.
The following night, Doncic was in high spirits once again during the Lakers’ matchup against the Clippers. This time, it was a special occasion as Rui Hachimura was making his return to Crypto.com Arena after spending 3 ½ seasons with the Lakers, including a year and a half as Doncic’s teammate.
Before the game started, Doncic dashed onto the court to hug Hachimura, interrupting the forward’s pregame routine. Even as Hachimura was catching up with his old Lakers coaches, Doncic was there, joking around with him.
Once the game got underway, Doncic’s good-natured attitude persisted. “I don’t like Rui… Nah, it was just great to see him,” he joked, adding, “He’s my guy. We had a year and a half together, great friends, so it was really nice to see him.”
The friendly exchanges took a competitive turn once the game started. Hachimura commented, “He was just trying to talk trash or whatever. But I don’t care about that stuff. I had a good time with him, two years with the Lakers. I’m happy to see him.”
It wasn’t just Doncic who welcomed Hachimura back; Lakers guard Austin Reaves, who was also Hachimura’s teammate during his entire stint with the Lakers, shared a warm embrace with him before and after the game.
Reaves expressed, “He’s one of my favorite teammates I’ve ever had. I made a joke the other day that I didn’t know if he spoke English for the first two weeks. He would just nod when I said hey.” He continued, “Then after that, I couldn’t get him to shut up. Always in a good mood, happy to be here, puts the work in, and it’s just good to see him be happy and successful.”
Coach JJ Redick praised Hachimura, saying he is “one of my favorite players I’ve ever been around in the NBA” and noted the positivity he brings every day.
Despite the Clippers losing to the Lakers, Hachimura was all smiles. He scored 16 points, grabbed six rebounds, and made two steals in 33 minutes of play. Reflecting on his time with the Lakers, he said, “It was amazing, it was a great time with them. This organization, of course, I missed them. But it was time to move on. It was special, my four years, four seasons with them. I’m happy with the Clippers right now. I gotta keep going with my career.”
