Five games into his NBA career, Yaxel Lendeborg has given Golden State’s media staff plenty to manage. The Golden State Warriors rookie forward told the San Francisco Chronicle he won’t . Others hope he never changes.
Asked about it after his 31-point night against the Denver Nuggets, Lendeborg laughed off the idea. I’ve seen plenty of interviews where people are talking and it’s like, ‘Man, I don’t want to watch this,’ you know what I mean? And it’s not like I’m click-baiting or click-farming or whatever the heck people are saying.” His answers, he added, simply reflect how he feels, and he insisted he has “never been a liar.” Following Golden State’s first game of the season, against the Los Angeles Lakers, Lendeborg said he had “lost all respect” for Lakers star Luka Doncic, then stood by it.
He also said he “would’ve cried” if the Warriors had lost to Denver and accused Minnesota of not playing “real defense.” Warriors coach Steve Kerr joked to reporters on Oct. 22 that Lendeborg is “going to be a headache” for Raymond Ridder, the team’s senior vice president of communications. Nobody inside the organization has tried to muzzle him. Mentor Josh Lane said the only request was that Lendeborg keep team schemes off his summer Twitch streams.
Kerr addressed the Doncic remarks with the full roster present, telling the rookie he loved the swagger but needed to prove it on the floor. His one note: “just don’t foul him next time.” Lendeborg’s next stage arrives against the Lakers on Oct. 30, a rematch with Doncic that he said he’s “absolutely” looking forward to.
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