Los Angeles Lakers superstar Luka Doncic threw some playful jabs at Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura following their 118-104 win over the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Friday. It all started when a reporter asked Doncic a couple of long questions in his postgame press conference, and hilariously stated he had 10 more after they were answered.
Doncic had absolutely no interest in hearing more of those and told the reporter he had forgotten half of the questions because of how long they were. The reporter jokingly claimed that he was just trying to teach him more English, and the Slovenian roasted Hachimura in response.
“I speak better English than Rui,” Doncic said. “And he went to college, obviously he didn’t.”
Hachimura, born in Toyama, Japan, attended Gonzaga from 2016 to 2019. He has been in the U.S. a little longer than Doncic, who came to the NBA straight from Real Madrid in 2018. The five-time All-Star thinks his English is still better, but Hachimura might disagree.
While this was hilarious as is, the reporter wasn’t done just yet. He presented Doncic with an opportunity to troll Reaves by stating he speaks better English than the Arkansas native. The 26-year-old isn’t the type to pass up a chance to roast his backcourt partner and didn’t on this occasion either.
“Yeah, that’s not hard,” Doncic stated.
Reaves and Doncic’s relationship is all about talking trash to each other. They just love to trade some light-hearted shots.
Prior to this, Reaves called Doncic an idiot who acts like a kid. The latter had a reputation for being a prankster during his time with the Dallas Mavericks, and the former believes he is getting more comfortable now that some time has passed since that shocking trade in February.
Doncic’s personality is shining through, and we saw that in this press conference. He is routinely joking around, and the vibes sure are great.
What has also been great is the Lakers’ play on the court this season. They beat the Pelicans 118-104 on the night, with Doncic recording 24 points (6-16 FG), seven rebounds, 12 assists, two steals, and one block. He was a little bit inefficient, but still had a big impact on the game.
Doncic followed that up by racking up 41 points (9-19 FG), nine rebounds, six assists, one steal, and two blocks in a dominant 119-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Saturday. He outplayed fellow MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo, who had 32 points (9-15 FG), 10 rebounds, five assists, and one block on the night, and is putting together a strong case for the award at this early stage of the season.
We’ll see Doncic in action next when the 10-4 Lakers take on the 5-8 Utah Jazz at Crypto.com Arena on Tuesday at 10:30 PM ET. LeBron James could also potentially make his season debut against the Jazz, and you sure wouldn’t fancy the visitors’ chances of winning if both the superstars are playing.
