"Lost All Respect": Warriors Rookie Blasts Luka Doncic After Fiery Lakers vs. Warriors Encounter

The 2026-27 NBA season has finally arrived, as most teams have already played their season openers as of Wednesday night. Among them were the Los Angeles Lakers and Golden State Warriors, in a statement game for Los Angeles. It was the Lakers’ first season opener in eight years without LeBron James, and Luka Doncic stepped in as the face of the franchise.

Doncic delivered, carrying the Lakers to a 127-105 win over the Warriors. But one Golden State rookie didn’t appreciate how he did it. Yaxel Lendeborg, the No. 11 pick in this year’s draft, made his NBA debut on Wednesday and shared his thoughts on finally getting to play in the league.

"It was interesting. I got to see what the NBA is like, man," Lendeborg said in a postgame press conference interview. "A lot of flopping. A lot of foul baiting. A lot of praying to the ref, man. Interesting first game for me, for sure."

Lendeborg had known for a while that he’d draw the Doncic assignment. He said an assistant coach told him during the preseason that he would be guarding the Lakers star. The matchup turned physical and vocal quickly.

Lendeborg was whistled for a technical foul in the second quarter after a bit of trash talk, and by the end of the night his opinion of Doncic had changed.

"I had a lot of respect for him (Luka Doncic)," Lendeborg said. "Seeing him kill people all the time. But then, being in there firsthand just watching all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect, man. Like, that was awful... It's about him complaining the entire game... Then you talk to me like you did something great, bro? Come on, dog. That's just weak."

The Golden State rookie isn’t the first to call out Doncic’s complaining. The Lakers star was whistled for 16 technical fouls last season, earning a one-game suspension. Doncic, though, insisted he kept his cool this time.

“He was talking crazy,” Doncic said. “But, you know, I wasn’t trying to talk back this season.” He added that this was the first time an exchange like that didn’t end in a double technical, “because I didn’t say nothing.”

Luka Doncic vs. Yaxel Lendeborg matchup

While the Lakers destroyed the Warriors, the head-to-head matchup between the two was closer. According to ESPN tracking data, Doncic scored just two points on 0-of-4 shooting with Lendeborg as his primary defender in the first half.

Over the full night, though, Doncic was the clear winner. He finished with 28 points, eight rebounds, seven assists and three steals in just three quarters, sitting out the fourth with the game in hand. Lendeborg had a solid debut of his own, with 12 points, three rebounds, two assists and one steal in 29 minutes.

One of the highlights of the evening was when he knocked down a half-court buzzer-beater in the second to end the first half, and immediately chirped at Lendeborg, giving him his welcome-to-the-NBA moment.

“I knew that was going up before I got it in my hands,” Doncic said. “I work on those.”

The Lakers are now off to a great start after securing their first victory without James. The question now is: could the Luka era turn out to be the key to LA's success moving forward?