Even before the draft, Yaxel Lendeborg faced doubts about his development because of his age. Now, a courtside exchange with Luka Doncic reportedly caught the Los Angeles Lakers star taking a jab at the 24-year-old. But the Golden State Warriors rookie isn’t letting the remark slide without a response.
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In his season debut on Wednesday, Yaxel Lendeborg dropped 12 points and was successful in clamping down Luka to 1-of-6 shooting. But the headlines were after the game, when the Warriors rookie said he “lost all respect” because of the Slovenian’s constant whining and complaining. That statement drew criticism, and the former Michigan star knows that.
“The guys that are over there on the couch talking bad about me, like, come on, bro,” Lendeborg said to the media via Joseph Dycus. “I don’t give a care less what you guys say. What else are they saying, the 24-year-old rookie thing? Yeah. I’m 24, an NBA, with the best job in the world, just moved my mom out to California. Like, I’m living a dream. So I’m going to always be myself. That’s the way I was taught, the way I was raised. And I mean, you know, I’m happy with life, no matter what goes on.
“I’m not supposed to talk to him (Luka Doncic), something like that. Like, come on, now. He’s going to say what he wants to say. I’m going to say what I want to say, you know? It’s like, I’m not afraid to talk to nobody, man. He’s not Michael Jordan. So I mean, it’s fun trash talk. I feel like I did kind of take it overboard in the media. But I mean, you know, it is what it is.”
The Warriors lost 127–105 to the Lakers, and Lendeborg went viral for getting a technical foul. But Stephen Curry, Draymond Green, and Steve Kerr all publicly supported the Warriors rookie. Recently, LegendZ, a renowned lip reader on social media, shared the footage, which further stated what transpired between the two stars.
Minutes before the end of the second quarter, Yaxel Lendeborg said, “That sh– is weak as f—. Ain’t nobody going for that s—,” when Luka Doncic drew a foul. The response from the Lakers star was apparently, “You can’t guard me, the f–- are you talking about? You can’t f— guard me, man.”
Yaxel Lendeborg picked up Luka Doncic full court, staying on him, refusing to give him an inch. The Lakers star later tried to shake the Warriors rookie in an isolation matchup, but Lendeborg held his ground. Unable to create enough space, Doncic turned to his familiar pump fake and drew a foul.
The constant back-and-forth continued for the majority of the game. And Luka Doncic even shared a jab, “You’re 24 and a rookie, relax.”
All of these conversations apparently led to Lendeborg losing respect for the Lakers star.
“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; I had a lot of respect for him, you know, just cuz just watching. I didn’t really watch the NBA much, I just watched highlights. Seeing him, you know, kill people all the time. But then being in there firsthand and just watching all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect, man. Like that was awful.”
Stats support Yaxel Lendeborg’s ability to limit the Slovenian. But it was not enough, as Luka Doncic finished with 28 points on 7-from-18 shooting. Plus, the Lakers star also contributed with eight rebounds and seven assists. That’s why even Steve Kerr didn’t care about the stats hyping Lendeborg’s one-on-one ability.
In less than a week, the Warriors face the Lakers again, this time in NBA Cup action. No doubt eyes will again be on how Yaxel Lendeborg and Luka Doncic’s matchup plays out.