Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg said he lost respect for Luka Dončić after guarding the Los Angeles Lakers star throughout his NBA debut on opening night Wednesday. The two traded extended trash talk during Los Angeles’ 127-105 win, a game that also included a technical foul for Lendeborg and a 48-foot halfcourt shot from Dončić.
“I had a lot of respect for him [because] I didn’t really watch the NBA much. I just watched highlights and seen him kill people,” Lendeborg said. “But being in it firsthand and seeing all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect.”
What Happened Between Lendeborg And Dončić
Lendeborg drew the assignment on Dončić for much of the first half and held him to 1-of-6 shooting as his primary defender, according to ESPN tracking stats. Dončić still finished with 28 points, but the matchup turned personal well before the final buzzer.
The flashpoint came late in the second quarter, when Dončić made a 48-foot shot off the backboard with 31 seconds left and then pointed and laughed at Lendeborg. Later, Lendeborg picked up a technical foul for yelling at Dončić in transition after defending him well on a step-back attempt.
Dončić downplayed his part in the exchange afterward. “He was talking crazy. But I wasn’t trying to talk back.
This season, I’m not trying to get techs,” he said. On the halfcourt heave, he added, “I knew that was going in before I got it in my hands. I work on those.”
What Lendeborg’s Comments Mean
Lendeborg made clear his frustration was not about the whistle going against him but about what he described as Dončić’s in-game behavior. “Me getting frustrated, it’s not about the foul being called, it’s about him complaining the entire game,” Lendeborg said. “You get the foul call.
Congratulations, bro. Then you talk to me like you did something great. C’mon, dog.
That s— is weak.”
He also described taunting Dončić verbally during the game. “I was telling him he sucks. He can’t score on me.
You talk but you can’t score on me. I said it the whole game. I said a couple cuss words, obviously.
That’s why I got the technical. But I was letting him know,” Lendeborg said.
Lendeborg’s remarks are distinct from the broader reaction to the game, which focused more on officiating than on any personal rivalry. Warriors coach Steve Kerr criticized the technical foul disparity after the game. “I thought the single technical was ridiculous.
They were jawing at each other. I think it was the words Yaxel used that got him the T. But then Luka makes the half-court shot and gets in his face.
That should be a tech,” Kerr said. Teammate Draymond Green defended Lendeborg’s approach and said he should keep standing up to opponents in future matchups.
Context Behind The Matchup
Lendeborg started on the wing in his professional debut because Jimmy Butler and Moses Moody were both unavailable, and his start made him the first Warriors rookie to open a season in the starting lineup since James Wiseman in 2020. He finished with 12 points, four fouls and a technical in 29 minutes.
Dončić’s complaints about officiating fit a pattern from last season, when he was whistled for 16 technical fouls and served a one-game suspension as a result. He went to the free-throw line nine times against Golden State. Lendeborg summed up his overall impression of the experience bluntly.
“I guess this is what the NBA is like, man. A lot of flopping, a lot of foul baiting, a lot of praying to the refs, man. Interesting first game for me,” he said.
What’s Next
The Warriors fell to 0-1 with the loss, and Golden State will get another look at Dončić and the Lakers on Oct. 30 in San Francisco. The injury situation that forced Lendeborg into the starting lineup, with Jimmy Butler still working back from his ACL recovery and Kristaps Porziņģis sidelined, could again shape the Warriors’ rotation for that rematch. More on Lendeborg’s early development with the Warriors and the team’s roster situation, including Porziņģis’ indefinite absence, will factor into how Golden State approaches the second meeting.
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