Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg said he had “lost all respect” for Luka Doncic after their heated exchanges during his NBA debut, criticizing the Los Angeles Lakers star for complaining to officials during Wednesday’s 127-105 loss.
Lendeborg, who finished with 12 points in 29 minutes, received a technical foul during the confrontation with Doncic, who scored 28 points, grabbed eight rebounds and handed out seven assists in the Lakers’ season-opening victory.
“I had a lot of respect for him, just because watching — I didn’t really watch the NBA much, I just watched highlights,” Lendeborg said after the game. “Seeing him 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.”
The rookie said his frustration was not simply about individual foul calls, but what he perceived as Doncic’s constant complaints to the officials.
“It’s not about the foul call being called. It’s about him complaining the entire game, and then you get the foul call. Congratulations, bro,” Lendeborg said. “And then you talk to me like you did something great, bro. Come on, dog. That’s just weak.”
Lendeborg acknowledged that the exchanges affected him during the game because he had previously admired Doncic. He also explained that he repeatedly challenged the Lakers guard verbally, telling him he could not score against him.
“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,” Lendeborg said, adding that he used profanity during the back-and-forth and received a technical foul.
Despite Doncic finishing with 28 points, Lendeborg said he took the individual matchup personally and believed he defended well. He also joked about the difficulty of guarding the Lakers star without drawing 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,” he said.
The rookie finished with four fouls and said the matchup provided a learning experience as he adjusts to NBA officiating.
“I think I did a great job guarding him until the foul was called,” Lendeborg said. He added that he focused on moving his feet, reading Doncic’s tendencies and contesting his step-back jumper.
The experience also boosted his confidence about facing other star players, even as he acknowledged he had more to learn about drawing fouls.
“This game for sure gave me a lot of confidence into being able to guard superstars,” Lendeborg said. “I’m gonna learn a lot more about the foul baiting as soon as possible.”
Doncic scored 23 points in the first half and capped it with a bank shot from beyond half court at the buzzer before pointing toward Lendeborg. The Lakers then outscored Golden State 36-16 in the third quarter to take a 102-68 lead, securing a 22-point victory in their season opener.
