By Johnny Askounis/ info@eurohoops.net
An exchange between Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic and rookie forward Yaxel Lendeborg shattered the newcomer’s view of the league’s two-time scoring champion.
“He was talking crazy. I wasn’t trying to talk back,” the Slovenian superstar mentioned during the postgame press conference following his side’s win over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, replying to a question about a late first-half flare-up with Lendeborg. “It’s the first time that it was not a double tech because I didn’t say nothing. So, I’m working on it, but as you see, I think it worked great.”
The 24-year-old forward, who was drafted with the 11th overall pick in June following an NCAA championship run with Michigan, felt differently about the encounter. “I had a lot of respect for him,” he revealed. “But being in there firsthand and just watching all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect, man. Like, that was awful.”
Lendeborg emphasized that his irritation stemmed from his opponent’s behavior rather than officiating. “It’s not about the foul call being called,” he added. “It’s about him complaining the entire game. Then you get the foul call. Congratulations, bro. And then you talk to me like you did something great, bro. Come on, dog, that’s just weak. So it kind of threw me off for a little, like I said, I had so much respect for him. Gone, man, gone.”
Detailing the specifics of the confrontation, he admitted to initiating some of the dialogue. “I was telling him he sucks, he can’t score on me. ‘You talking, you can’t score on me,’ I said it the whole game,” he recounted. “I said a couple cuss words, obviously. That’s why I got the technical and all that. But I was letting him know. He was laughing and talking all this because of that one foul call. And he didn’t. His only bucket on me was a banker from half court.”
Doncic poured in a game-high 28 points, yet Lendeborg remained focused on the personal duel. “I know that it’s a team sport. He had 28 on us as a team,” he said. “Me, I took my matchup personally. I tried my best not to get caught on the fouls. I was thinking about playing him with my hands behind my back to see if that worked. Probably would have still got a foul call, but interesting first game.”
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