Luka Doncic had been the main talking point during the LA Lakers’ recent nine-game winning streak, earning plenty of praise for his dominant performances. But toward the end of that two-week run, the attention around him shifted for a different reason involving another European player.
In the Mar. 21 game between the Lakers and the Orlando Magic, Doncic got into a tense back-and-forth with Goga Bitadze. The two exchanged words throughout the game, and while things never turned physical, the constant trash talk led to both players receiving technical fouls.
Things escalated off the court when a popular lip-reading account on X, @legendz_prod, shared its interpretation of what was said. According to the post, both players used explicit insults about each other’s families:
Luka Doncic: “J*bem ti mater” (I f**k your mom)
Goga Bitadze: “J*bem ti familiju” (I f**k your whole family)
Luka Doncic: “I’ll f**k you up, don’t mention my f**king family again”
The clip quickly went viral, racking up more than 3.5 million views, with many fans criticizing Doncic for the alleged comments. However, Serbian podcaster Matej Petek pushed back on the claims, saying the lip reading was incorrect.
“The video got it wrong. Luka definitely doesn’t say “j*bem ti mater” and every Serbian speaker can confirm that. It looks like he actually says “stop talking p*ssy”. He definitely says a word starting with a “P” and there’s no “P” sound in “j*bem ti mater”. So, definitely wrong,” @MatejSportinfo wrote.
That said, neither side has confirmed the exact wording. Both players did admit after the game that things got heated and that some pretty harsh, NSFW comments were exchanged about each other’s families.
On the court, though, Luka had the final say. He finished with 33 points, five rebounds, and eight assists, leading the Lakers to a 105-104 win at the Kia Center.
NBA rescinded Luka Doncic’s technical foul
Luka Doncic and Goga Bitadze were hit with technical fouls after going back and forth throughout the game. Since it was Doncic’s 16th technical of the season, he was initially set to miss the Lakers’ next game.
That changed on Sunday when the NBA rescinded the technical fouls for both players.
“The NBA has rescinded Lakers star Luka Doncic’s 16th technical foul, allowing him to play in Monday’s road game against the Detroit Pistons,” ESPN’s Shams Charania reported.
Even with Doncic available, the Lakers could not get the win. The Pistons, playing without Cade Cunningham, still managed to edge out the Lakers 113-110.
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