A routine foul in Saturday’s Lakers-Magic game spiraled into one of the NBA’s most dramatic on-court confrontations this season — and it all hinged on words spoken in a language the referees couldn’t understand.
During the third quarter of Saturday’s game in Orlando, Luka Dončić was driving to the rim when Magic center Goga Bitadze was called for a reaching foul — his fourth of the game — per video shared by the NBA on YouTube.
What happened next escalated fast. Dončić was at the free throw line when the two players started chirping at one another. After the first free throw, Dončić walked over and talked to referee Sean Corbin. But the verbal altercation continued as both players ran down the court.
Both were issued technical fouls.
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For Dončić, it was his 16th technical foul of the season — a threshold with serious consequences. According to the NBA rulebook, 16 technical fouls in a single season results in a one-game suspension.
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After the game, Dončić didn’t hold back in a post-game press conference, revealing what he says triggered the blowup.
“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 I let them down today, but hopefully it’ll get rescinded.”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, adding a revealing detail.
“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 Offers a Different Account
In an interview with the Orlando Sentinel, Bitadze pushed back — placing the blame squarely on Dončić.
“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.
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The language element is key to understanding this clash. Dončić is a Slovenian player who also speaks Serbian. Bitadze is from Georgia but spent time playing in Serbia before heading to the NBA.
Their shared fluency in Serbian meant the trash talk unfolded beyond what officials could monitor in real time.
The Refs’ Account — and the Technical Appeal
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 biggest development came Sunday. The NBA rescinded both technical fouls following appeals, per ESPN.
That means Dončić avoids the automatic one-game suspension that would have accompanied his 16th tech. He will be available to play in Monday’s game against the Detroit Pistons.
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It’s a significant reprieve — but the dueling accounts from Dončić and Bitadze leave a lingering question about what was actually said, and who started it, in a language only the two of them could fully understand.
