Luka Dončić’s playstyle continues to draw flak from around the league. Jaxson Hayes appeared to call the superstar guard a “flopper” during the Los Angeles Lakers’ 132-123 road win over the Utah Jazz on Sunday, taking a jab at his former teammate as Dončić poured in an NBA season-high 52 points.
The trash talk drew familiar warnings about taunting Dončić and came just four days after Golden State Warriors rookie Yaxel Lendeborg turned heads by going at the two-time NBA scoring champion. The latest exchange has raised further questions about how Dončić is viewed by his peers.
Jaxson Hayes’ ‘Flopper’ Dig at Luka Dončić Sparks Animated Reactions
Hayes, who signed a two-year, $12 million contract with Utah over the offseason after three years in LA, didn’t shy away from speaking his mind against Dončić. In addition to being caught seemingly mouthing the word “flopper” to the six-time All-Star, the veteran big man continued chirping from the bench.
In typical fashion, Dončić pulled up and drained a 3-pointer shortly after, then turned to point at Hayes. A few moments later, Dončić swung back toward the bench with a message for his ex-teammate: “You know better than that, Jax!”
While Dončić erupted for his 10th career 50-point outing and third with the Lakers, Hayes finished with a relatively modest 9 points and 5 rebounds as Utah squandered an early 18-point lead.
The Slovenian megastar added 8 rebounds and 10 assists, shooting 17-for-30 overall (56.7%) and 8-for-18 from deep (44.4%) in a historic performance that saw him put the game away late with a series of tough shots from long range.
One stats account had a warning for anyone else tempted to rile up Dončić:
“It’s Luka’s 9th season in the NBA, and people still don’t know that taunting him is like showing lasagna to Garfield. The dude literally feeds off taunts.”
Others looked to the history between the two, who share the same agent, Bill Duffy. Hayes also became a Slovenian citizen this year, making him eligible to fill Slovenia’s lone spot for a naturalized player alongside Dončić.
NBA Memes went after the citizenship: “Jaxson Hayes’ Slovenia visa just got revoked.”
One fan had a theory about the timing: “He been waiting to say that for years.”
Razed NBA tied the big man’s jab to Lendeborg’s: “Yaxel and now Jaxson… Do they actually have a point?”
Shuffle Sports went a step further, writing, “The whole league is banding together against Luka.”
After going toe-to-toe with Dončić in his NBA debut and jawing back and forth as LA cruised to a 127-105 home win, Lendeborg didn’t hold back postgame:
“Being in there firsthand, just watching all the whining and complaining, I lost all respect, man.”
Speaking after the contest about the rookie’s trash talk, Dončić kept it short: “Everybody knows when somebody starts talking, you get a different me.”
Lendeborg’s gripe and Hayes’ “flopper” label both target an offensive-minded superstar who led the NBA in free-throw attempts per game last season (10.1) and is known to voice his displeasure with officials any chance he gets.
Still, the Lakers are 3-0 entering Tuesday’s home clash against the Portland Trail Blazers (2-0), with Dončić operating at full tilt and embracing his naysayers.
This article originally appeared on Pro Football Network.