Luka Doncic, Goga Bitadze Offer Conflicting Stories Over Crude Family Comment
Luka Doncic was sitting right on the edge of a one-game ban — but Los Angeles Lakers’ fans can exhale.
The NBA rescinded Doncic’s 16th technical foul of the season on Sunday after Los Angeles appealed, per ESPN. He’ll suit up Monday against the Detroit Pistons.
But the backstory? That’s where things get messy.
During Saturday’s Lakers-Magic game, Doncic was driving to the rim in the third quarter when Orlando center Goga Bitadze was called for a reaching foul — his fourth of the game — per video shared by the NBA on YouTube.
What followed at the free throw line escalated fast. Doncic and Bitadze started chirping at one another while Luka was shooting. After the first free throw, Doncic walked over and talked to ref Sean Corbin.
The verbal altercation didn’t stop there — the two players continued jawing as they ran down the court following the free throw. Both players were hit with technical fouls.
For Bitadze, it was a frustration foul situation compounded by words. For Doncic, it was far more consequential.
That tech was his 16th of the season, and according to the NBA rulebook, 16 technical fouls in a single season results in a one-game suspension.
Luka Doncic Offers His Side of the Story
Doncic didn’t hold back in his post-game press conference, explaining exactly why he couldn’t let the exchange go.
“I let my team down, but honestly I wasn’t trying to,” he said.
“He said at the free-throw (line) he would f— my whole family and at some point, I just can’t stand it and I’ve got to stand up for myself,” he continued. “I know my teammates have my back. I let them down today, but hopefully it’ll get rescinded.”
Lakers head coach J.J. Redick also commented on the exchange after the game, and his remarks made it clear the coaching staff was in Doncic’s corner.
“I’m not sure what happened,” he said. “I do know that there were certain things said in a language that the referees couldn’t understand in reference to Luka’s mom.”
Goga Bitadze Says There’s More to the Story
In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Bitadze pushed back on Doncic’s account and placed the blame squarely on the Lakers star.
“I have all the respect for Luka and what he has done. And I really respect everybody’s family,” Bitadze said. “Where I come from, it’s really sacred and we really respect each other’s families and I would never directly say that.”
“He just said some inappropriate things in the Serbian language, which, I played in Serbia. I understand, I don’t know if he knew | understood what he said. So I just said it back. And it was nothing towards his family or anybody. His family, I really, truly respect them and that’s pretty much it,” he added.
For context, Doncic is a Slovenian player who also speaks Serbian. Bitadze is from Georgia but spent time playing in Serbia before heading to the NBA.
In a pool report after the game, Crew Chief Mark Davis said both players were issued technical fouls “for their continual taunting of one another.”
Davis added that they “were both warned to cease their comments” before continuing their spat down the court.
The bottom line for Lakers fans tracking every game on the schedule: Doncic is available Monday against Detroit.
His technical foul count drops back to 15, but make no mistake — he’s still one tech away from triggering that automatic one-game suspension.
Every heated exchange for the rest of the regular season carries real stakes for L.A.’s positioning down the stretch.
This article was created by content specialists using various tools, including AI.
