Luka Dončić is known as one of the greatest scorers in the game. At the same time he is often criticized for his style of offense, which depends heavily on what others describe as flopping or manipulating the game. He also argues with referees and begs for calls throughout the game.
His legend has been well promoted by the NBA, and new players such as Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg are always eager to see the legend up close and test their skills against him.
Golden State Rookie Blasts Luka Dončić For Whining, Flopping, Begging Refs For Calls
After the Lakers’ 127-105 opening-night blowout of the Golden State Warriors, the rookie spoke to reporters about his NBA debut and guarding Luka. He didn’t mince his words.
“I got to see what the NBA is like, man. Lots of flopping, lots of foul baiting, lots of praying to the ref. Interesting first game for me,” Lendeborg said at the podium in the postgame presser.
One reporter asked Yaxel about his trash-talking with Luka the entire game.
“I had a lot of respect for him,” the rookie said. “Just watching. I really didn’t watch the NBA much. I just watched highlights. Seeing him kill people all the time. Being there firsthand, just watching all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect, that was awful.”
“Me getting frustrated isn’t about the fouls being called. It’s about him complaining the entire game and then you get the foul call, bro, congratulations. Then you talk to me like you just did something. C’mon, bro. That’s just weak. It kind of threw me off for a little while because, like I said, I had so much respect for him. Gone man, gone,” Lendeborg added.
Dončić scored a quiet 28 points, missing 11 of his 18 shots from the field. The rookie had a nice first game with 12 points, 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal, and 1 block. Yaxel was also asked about the nature of the trash talking and he was forthcoming with that recollection as well.
“I told him you suck. You can’t score on me,” the rookie boasted. “You’re talking and can’t score on me. I said a couple curse words that why I got the technical foul called on me. I was thinking about playing him with my hands behind my back but I still would have gotten the foul call.”
Fans Support Golden State Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg’s Criticism Of Luka Dončić
Strong words coming from a rookie, but plenty of fans on X who have had this same criticism of some of the NBA’s top scorers agreed with him.
“The NBA better put a muzzle on this kid. He’s telling the truth. He’s saying exactly what the rest of us think about the NBA and its prima donnas,” one fan said, agreeing with the rookie’s bold claims.
“Why? He’s going to save the NBA. It’s in the toilet,” another fan commented.
“Your’re about 15 years too late to tell me that. I haven’t watched the game since Michael Jordan was playing,” a third fan agreed.
“Players will hunt him for this, but no lies detected,” one netizen wrote in the comments
“Both can be true. Luka is an exceptionally talented player. Likely Top 5 player. He’s also incredibly whiny and cries the entire game and most people think it’s weak,” expressed a fan who acknowledged both sides of the argument.
“Yaxel basically said ‘Luka soft and his chain fake,’” a fan joked in the comments.
“Everything said in the first segment is 100% accurate and why I stopped watching the NBA years ago,” a netizen quipped.
Stephen A. Smith Defends Rookie, Blasts NBA Officials
Stephen A. Smith defended Lendeborg on Thursday morning’s “First Take” segment:
“He’s saying, ‘If you’re so great, stop whining to the officials. Just go out there and if you gonna bust my a*s, bust my a*s. But stop whining to the officials looking to them for help.’ … I was really, really ticked off when that referee gave Yaxel Lendeborg the technical foul… I’m calling out the NBA. NBA gotta stop that nonsense! Let them talk!” Smith said.
As the NBA continues to strategically push the game toward a more euro-centric style of play and elevate and promote players outside of the United States, American basketball fans will continue to have critiques of the game and the style in which it’s played. Especially when it comes to a guy like Luka who often complains on most plays that don’t go his way and refuses to play any defense.
