Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg has admitted that his criticism of Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic may have gone too far following their heated matchup in the NBA season opener.
Lendeborg was assigned to defend Doncic, and the two players exchanged words throughout the game.
Despite facing one of the league’s biggest stars in his debut, the rookie showed no hesitation in challenging him.
“I’m not afraid to talk to nobody. He’s not Michael Jordan,” Lendeborg said.
However, Lendeborg later acknowledged that his postgame comments may have been excessive.
“I feel like I did kinda take it overboard in the media, but it is what it is.”
The rookie had previously criticized Doncic for repeatedly complaining to officials during the Lakers’ victory.
“Being in there firsthand, just watching all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect, man,” Lendeborg said.
He explained that his frustration was not about the foul calls themselves but rather Doncic’s behavior throughout the game.
“Like, me getting frustrated, it’s not about the foul getting called. It’s about him complaining the entire game,” Lendeborg added.
“Then you get the foul called – congratulations, bro – and you talk to me like you did something great? That’s just weak. It kind of threw me off for a while. Because like I said, I had so much respect for him. Gone, man.”
Despite the confrontation, Doncic finished with 28 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, leading Los Angeles to a convincing victory over Golden State.
