In the world of the NBA, there’s a well-known saying among players: Don’t poke the bear. Yet, during the Lakers’ season opener against the Warriors on Wednesday night, Yaxel Lendeborg did exactly that, stirring up quite a bit of banter late in the second quarter. Luka Doncic, the Slovenian star, made it clear that Lendeborg’s remarks crossed a line.
Doncic remarked, “He was talking crazy,” referring to the rookie’s behavior. The verbal exchanges seemed to escalate after a shooting foul was called against Lendeborg, which drew a laugh from Doncic as Lendeborg visibly frustrated over the call.
Interestingly, Doncic didn’t let up even after Lendeborg was substituted out. He continued to interact with the rookie while Lendeborg sat on the bench, notably after hitting a fadeaway shot against Will Richard and during Sandro Mamukelashvili’s free throw attempts. The tension reached a peak when Lendeborg was given a technical foul with just 22 seconds left in the first half, likely a result of their ongoing exchanges.
The jawing culminated just before halftime when Doncic hit a halfcourt shot at the buzzer, pushing the Lakers’ lead to 66-52. Austin Reaves commented humorously about Doncic, saying, “Nobody understands what he says. He’s not speaking English. I didn’t understand anything,” emphasizing how Doncic seems to thrive on the back-and-forth.
What’s notable is that throughout this back-and-forth, Doncic refrained from picking up any technical fouls, a refreshing change after last season’s tally of 16 technicals. “I wasn’t trying to talk back this season,” Doncic explained. “I’m trying to not get techs… But as you see, it worked great.”
New Lakers forward Ziaire Williams, who previously had his own incident with Doncic that resulted in technical fouls and a suspension for him, acknowledged Lendeborg’s competitive spirit. “It’s a lot better when you’re on his side than the other side, for sure,” said Williams, commending Lendeborg for not shying away from the challenge against Doncic.
