Rui Hachimura brushed off Luka Doncic's trash talk after facing his former Los Angeles Lakers teammate on Friday night. The Los Angeles Clippers forward, who joined the Clippers after leaving the Lakers, made it clear that their on-court exchange did not affect his respect for Doncic.
Speaking after the matchup, Hachimura explained that Doncic was simply trying to get under his skin.
“He was trying to, you know, poke, trash talk or whatever, but you know, I don't care those kind of stuff,” Hachimura said in an interview shared by California Post Sports.
Rather than firing back, Hachimura reflected on their time together with the Lakers and expressed appreciation for his former teammate.
“I'm happy to see him, you know, he's healthy, back on the court,” he said. “Hope the best for him.”
The reunion also prompted Hachimura to reflect on his four seasons with the Lakers. Although he admitted missing his former teammates, he emphasized that leaving was an important step in his career.
“Of course, I missed them,” Hachimura said. “But it was time to move on.”
He added that he is happy with the Clippers and determined to continue developing as a player.
Article Continues BelowHachimura, who previously opened up about his decision to leave the Lakers for their crosstown rivals, described his eighth NBA season as particularly important.
The comments suggest that Friday's trash talk was nothing more than friendly competition between former teammates.
For Hachimura, facing Doncic provided an opportunity to reconnect with his Lakers past while reinforcing his commitment to building a new chapter across Los Angeles.