With Halloween just around the corner, Yaxel Lendeborg is fully embracing the holiday spirit ahead of his much-anticipated game against Luka Doncic.
On Friday night, he arrived at the Chase Center dressed as Michael Myers, the infamous character from the “Halloween” series.
Having just begun his NBA journey a little over a week ago, Lendeborg caught the public’s eye during his debut, especially when he was seen playfully trash-talking Doncic on the Lakers’ home court.
In their initial encounter, he boldly told Doncic, “you suck. You can’t score on me. You talk a lot, but you can’t score.” He kept at it throughout the game and even received a technical foul for some colorful language he used. After the foul, he mentioned that Doncic was laughing and getting involved in the banter.
The playful jabbing carried over into the postgame as Lendeborg shared with a reporter that he “lost all respect” for Doncic. He added, “I had a lot of respect for him, just observing his game… I’ve seen him dominate others repeatedly.”
When reflecting on his NBA debut experience, he noted, “There’s a lot of flopping, a lot of foul baiting, and a lot of praying to the refs.”
Draymond Green, the 2017 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, expressed pride in Lendeborg for not shying away from the trash talk. He encouraged the rookie to keep at it, even if it meant getting burned by Doncic at times. Green dismissed the idea that Lendeborg had learned a lesson, insisting that he should just keep bringing that intensity the next time they meet.
In the end, Lendeborg admitted he may have gone a bit too far with his remarks toward Doncic. The next showdown between Lendeborg and Doncic is set for 7:00 p.m. PT.
