The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers had a very interesting season-opening matchup just a week ago, one that may have already sparked a rivalry. During the game, rookie phenom Yaxel Lendeborg and Luka Doncic went after each other throughout the night.
Doncic got the better of Lendeborg as he welcomed the rookie to the NBA. After the game, the Lakers superstar made it clear that he was simply talking trash.
“He was talking crazy … I knew that was going before I got it in my hands. I work on those,” Doncic said.
The rookie didn’t back down from the veteran, taking the challenge head-on and earning plenty of respect inside the locker room. It says a lot about Lendeborg that he continued going after a player of Doncic’s caliber despite everything that was happening. Lendeborg received a technical foul and revealed after the game what he had been telling the Lakers star.
“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. I said a couple cuss words obviously, you know, that’s why I got the technical and all that. But I was letting him know because he was laughing and talking all this because of that one foul call, and his only bucket was a banker from half court. Like, I know that it’s a team sport. He had 28 on us as a team. Me, I took my matchup personally,” Lendeborg said.
On Friday night, during their next matchup, Lendeborg’s future Hall of Fame teammate, Steph Curry, got Doncic back by breaking his ankles.
“Steph Curry is a bad, bad man. Jeez,” NBA insider Brett Siegel posted.
Steph Curry is a bad, bad man. Jeez. https://t.co/575vXOPIO6
— Brett Siegel (@BrettSiegelNBA) October 31, 2026
At this point in Curry’s career, being able to make a play like that is simply amazing, regardless of how great he already is. Any time he can leave a defender off balance like that, it shows just how skilled he is at creating space.
The four-time NBA champion sparked a run by dropping Doncic and converting the shot. Doncic responded with a tough three-pointer on the ensuing possession, but that wasn’t enough to overshadow Curry breaking his ankles. Doncic, by the way, has quickly become one of the most disliked players among Warriors fans early in the season.
