Luka and JJ get into a disagreement during the game between the Lakers and Warriors
Vando’s agent just needs to show this clip during his free agent meetings to land a deal
If you just watch him the whole clip it’s a master class on what kind of player you want on your team.
he’s the only guy up at the start of the clip. He’s up cause I don’t think he can see past JJ and Reaves.
during the conversation he is watching very intently back and fourth. At some point either JJ or Luka says something that he thinks “I need my hands free” and puts his water bottle or whatever he has down.
he starts clapping and acting nonchalant but is definitely watching Luka out of the corner of his eye the entire time.
Hes on his way to becoming one of those guys that stay in the league well beyond their years if only because they have a great team presence.
Udonis Haslem is a prime example. 20 years in the league cause the dude was a great locker room piece. And also a great enforcer during the Heatles era.
It’s exactly why we just signed Taj Gibson. Guys like that can stick around forever.
Those kinds of people don’t necessarily always do the best or the most work, but they are like a lubricant that makes everything else run more smoothly
you can tell hes a great guy. great hustle too. all hustle. which leads to nagging injuries.
just wish he had a smidgen of any type of offensive game
Like Deandre Jordan
Yeah rn making 10mil a year is definitely too much, but if we can bring him back on max 5mil a year once his contract ends I wouldn’t hate it. He shouldn’t be in the main rotation but there are games where he makes an impact, there’s worse players to have as a 11th-12th man
Wish vando was still on the wolves as an end of bench piece. Hes a meathead and a plug, but he’s a lovable meathead and plug
He’s gotta a lot better on offense. He’s actually playable lately
It’s even better than that, it seems like Luka is upset as he’s being subbed out, he sulks to the bench, JJ wants to pull Luka to chat and Luka ignores him, JJ is upset, they have a heated discussion. Afterwards Luka wanted to dap up JJ to show no hard feelings and JJ either ignores it or doesn’t notice, which causes Luka to think there is hard feelings and gets up to confront JJ. EDIT nevermind it looks like Luka was reaching for the warmup gear and not dapping JJ up, it’s JJ’s parting comments that get Luka mad
Meanwhile Vando is watching all this and as soon as Luka gets up, he immediately gets up and gets in Luka’s way while feigning clapping about the on-court play. He’s defusing the situation while not making it seem like anything is happening in case any media is watching.
An absolute masterclass
Luka wanted to dap up JJ to show no hard feelings and JJ either ignores it or doesn’t notice,
It’s funny how vastly different takes can come out of the same video we’re all watching. Cause right below you is a comment saying
He [Vando]realizes that Doncic is going to say something back to JJ and maybe even follow him, and jumps up specifically to block his path …Then he turns to calm Doncic down and get him to sit while making as little a scene as possible.
In one view, Luka is trying to make peace and got snubbed, in another Doncic was trying to start something and was obstructed by an aware teammate.
I don’t disagree with the other comment, we’re saying the same thing. Luka definitely wants to start something with JJ, but that’s after he reaches his out to dap JJ up and realizes JJ has ignored him and walked away, whether intentionally or unintentionally. Luka wants to make peace and realizes JJ didn’t accept his peace and gets upset by it standing up to confront JJ, Vando is aware of all this and blocks Luka
I don’t think Luka is trying to dap JJ. He looks like he was reaching out for the towel boy as he heard JJ say something he did not like, then stood up to try and follow him before Vando kept him at bay.
yeah I think you’re right tbh
No, you are saying that he was getting up to make peace, while another person stated the opposite.
He’s not just watching Luka. He realizes that Doncic is going to say something back to JJ and maybe even follow him, and jumps up specifically to block his path. The cheering is to give an excuse for why he jumped up so quick. Then he turns to calm Doncic down and get him to sit while making as little a scene as possible.
Without this clip, it’s plausible that not even JJ or Luka would even realize his role in defusing the situation, not to mention fans and media.
Super impressive
Masterclass
Vando was beloved in the locker room here. The vibes were tough after the Rudy trade in large part because he was missing. A++ teammate and a guy you absolutely want in your locker room.
He was clapping right before the warriors scored too so it was definitely just to make noise and obstruct luka from going after jj. You can see he even tells him to chill and sit back down and then luka looks for one of his trainers to validate him. Amazing job by vando here. Great video captured by whatever fan this is. Terrible look for jj as far as job security goes lol
Yeah great awareness by him
Good social awareness is a valuable skill that’s useful in every situation, including the NBA bench
Vando really getting dnp’s with that kind of court awareness 😭 JJ really doesn’t see that
Vando playing Snackman
There are always constant complaints in every team sub about a dude that is on the end of the bench and gets put in to the game when the team is having injury issues. All the fans hate that guy and wonder what he even does for the team.
This is what that guy does, and this is why the team keeps giving that guy a contract.
Great leadership tbh
That was a masterful teammate move. Imagine if he didn’t do that. The media would get to run wild with clips of Luka in JJs face
That’s some high level people skills by Vando, they need to teach that shit.
Forreal, played it off extremely well. That’s excellent people management
He’s been on it the moment JJ started walking towards Luka. Such awareness.
They talk about vets getting hired just because they are good locker room presence guys or whatnot. This is a great example of how a player can help the team even when they’re not on the court.
You don’t teach that shit, that’s how you end up with people playing enforcer in arguments and making them worse lol. Incredible move by Vando that shows as much natural skill as Luka’s fadeaway.
His advanced stats are interesting. By the eye test he’s totally unplayable IMO, but some of his projected impact stats are great.
Darko DPM:
Makes me think he could be a really good fit on the right team. He was a great fit on the old LeBron/Reaves/AD team when healthy.
He passes the eye test , never stopped running , tries his hardest ,
Agreed, actually insane eye test on defense. It’s like he just glides and teleports around the court.
But horrific on offense.
Darko Miličić vibes
Would love to see that being taught so next time Luka and JJ get into it the entire bench stands up and start clapping their hands
Lmao that’ll be a little terrifying
Masterclass. Art of the deal! Bag secured
Art of the Deal is how you bankrupt a casino. It’s the opposite of securing a bag. LOL
Usually if a casino goes bankrupt, someone is getting a bag
That shit was so smooth. Guy seen it was about to escalate and he just did a little clap and head bob.
Good guy Vando making sure to discreetly deescalate the scene.
That’s a good teammate.
That awkward clapping. Come on guys! Basketball team!
The team! The team! Go sports!
Basketball is my favorite sport! I love the way they dribble up and down the court!
lmao
“Yeah, sports!”
Ball in the hole! BALL IN THE HOLE!
That was smooth af
Absolute MVP of this whole video.
yeah that was sooooo seamless
Situational Awareness sliders were on 100
Made me chuckle. Strong emotional intelligence on display
Got to be the favorite to win the NBA peace prize
Normal basketball stuff, but dang that was slick by vando
Look at the way he looks back and forth between them and syncs getting up with Luka while pretending to cheer lol
I’ve coached for 10+ years. Conversations like this are fairly normal. If a player blindly followed everything I said, with no back and forth, I’d be more worried. Disagreements are fine. I’ve taken players out of games, and they’re mad at me. But it happens. As long as they aren’t choking each other, I see no problem here.
Posts like this always expose how the people who dominate online discourse are chronically online and have little experience in normal situations. If you’ve ever been in a competitive environment, you know this is nothing.
And the odds that it might have been something went to zero because of Vando cooling it
On my men’s league team, we literally argue and yell about stuff ON the court. While the play is happening. Having full on discussions during the play. Then by the end of the game, we’re all happy and chilling, and going out for beers. And the other team waits until the end of the game, and they’re all yelling at each other and they all leave mad.
Plus some reporters eat up the online discourse and ask questions about issues like this that end up online.
Lather. Rinse. Repeat.
I’m part of a basketball family with coaches and players, I agree to an extent.
Pro players are a different though. In high school and college programs, the coach is definitely the big man making all decisions whether it is play schemes, rotations, and other player assignments. But, if a coach in the NBA sits out Luka, LeBron, Shai, Jokic, Giannis, etc. for disagreements then they are the ones being looked at by NBA management. People go to see their favorite players, not coaches.
Oh yea, but in this instance, it looks like it’s a disagreement about something from the game, or a specific play.
I agree. I’m no pro player but I was in my high school team which it was just me and another 4 friends. No bench, we had to play full time every game. By the 4 quarter all of us were tired and as you can assume we were tense as fuck. Arguments with coach were quite normal, specially when I or somebody else complained to the refs or in general had bad body language out there (something we all know Luka does).
Now imagine that but at NBA level and with games happening every 2 days or so and yeah this seems like something common. People just putting attention to it because it’s Luka and JJ and they want to see the lakers implode.
Vando on it like white on rice
Hes like white on white
I’ve seen enough, give him the max. On a serious note, looks like toward the end Luka is telling JJ he understands and reaches out for a dap but JJ doesn’t see it and walks off and says something slick which pisses Luka off lol
He wasn’t trying to dap him up he wanted his sweats/towel which you can see immediately. JJ definitely did say something to Luka while walking away that made Luka turn and react
and spots on dice
Give vando the teammate of the year for that
Jarred “Snackman” Vanderbilt
What a pull
That was smooth
I think it’s probably nothing. They are both hyper competitive and JJ had just subbed Luka out slightly before the 1 quarter ended when he made a mistake (Luka nearly always plays the entire first quarter).
How can you be hyper competitive and not play defense?
Luka’s defense has become a test of who watches games or just reads reddit threads.
For real.
No defense narrative is like a bad smell. Once a player gets labeled with it, it’s pretty tough to shake off.
It goes the other way too, once a player is labeled as a “lockdown elite” defender, they carry that reputation even when their play falls off
Dude, just do yourself a favor and watch a full game. Not just the highlights or the lowlights. Luka plays defense. He has some low-effort possessions but so do all great offensive engines.
Luka’s defense is mid by all metrics and the eye-test confirms it through a whole game.
He’s not even the biggest problem for the Lakers defense, let alone for the team overall…
No one here watches the games. Luka has been dead average on defence this year and is putting in waaay more effort but its all rhetoric, hyperbole and narratives. Luka could literally play prime kawhii defence next game and no one will give 2 fucks if it doesnt show up on the scoreboard lol.
which is crazy because it does show on his stat line. He’s averaging .5 blocks, 1.4 steals, and 7.7 rebounds that are all defensive.
He’s not out here like CP3 competing for all defense, but he’s putting in the work.
He was really good on brown last week but no-one noticed or cared
Not to defend Luka’s lack of defense but different people view compettition differently. Not to mention that if you have to carry the bulk of the offense for your entire team, then it makes sense your defense will sag.
This is ridiculous, lol. Like First Take style analysis of the game has gone too far. You’re acting like dude is sitting on his ass not trying when the other team has the ball. Come tf on. Yeah, dude is slow footed and can be taken advantage of on that end, but we’re really acting like the dude we’ve watched the last 8 years isn’t competitive because Windhorst told you so or some shit. Go watch a game or go your local park and pick up a ball.
Statistically Luka is an average defender. Hes just the most targeted player in the whole league so visually makes him look worse then he actually is.
I was sitting next to the bench, JJ asked what Luka’s problem was, Luka was angry he got taken out.
This is exactly what it looks like. These are competitive people.
count as a block for vando?
It’s a screen.
That he knew Luka wasnt going to fight over. Which is probably why Luka was getting benched…
Lmao
Vando being a good teammate
15 years ago this would have been nothing. But in today’s era of coaching it’s seen as a big ordeal. JJ is just coaching him tough.
It’s still not a big deal - coaches and players have disagreements - they’re clearly fine.
Hive mind redditors ready to TMZ this
A lot of people who engage in the TMZ gossipy side of the league will simultaneously trash women for watching a housewives show. Same shit, just shallow entertainment
Oh I do this too. I’m gossip girl. Just when it fits my narrative.
gotta get those internet points
I mean not saying it’s gonna happen but I feel Reddit always tries to downplay shit like this only for the coach to get fired or whatever and then everyone acts like it was obvious all along lol
He wasn’t coaching him, he was asking what Lukas problem was.
Source I sit courtside right there and heard the whole conversation
what was his answer?
Not enough ice teas at practice
What a block by his teammate. Did so much by just standing up in front of him. Wtf is going on in LA.
Nothing but yk this will be overblown.
hoe dont grab me i will buy your house
JJs house burned down
hoe dont grab me i will buy your air bnb
Now that’s a flex. Turn off the wifi and shit
JJ still lives in a hotel room
Oh I thought he lived at the Crypto arena?
And where was Luka that night??
Interesting enough, Luka was on the Mavericks when JJ’s house burned down.
the day it burned down, the Lakers were on a road trip playing IN DALLAS
more interesting - LUKA DIDNT PLAY
was he in the arena that night? I’m not sure.
Found Windhorst’s account
Yeah, he says his family is still living in a hotel
Grabbed him like a little child who starts wandering off at the zoo.
Luka acts like a whiny child. So it’s appropriate.
Vando deserves a DPOTY trophy just for his de-escalation skills in this clip. He saw that look in JJ’s eyes and knew exactly when to step in before someone ended up on a podcast episode they didn’t want to be on. Essential glue guy behavior right there.
Another video that will be overblown. Coaches and players have arguments, this is nothing new
Yup, it’s a nothing burger. They have a great relationship, they are friends since they’ve been teammates.
If JJ gets fired he should become a referee just to piss off Luka
I’ve never played at a high level, is it normal to grab a player by the wrist like that? That would piss me off so much lol
If you’re fucking around getting off the playing field or ignoring your coach, then they might grab you to get your attention. Luka was doing a little of both here
Lmao look like Luka was more pissed that he tried to squash the beef and dap up JJ but he just said some shit and walked away
From my armchair analysis it looks like JJ wanted to dap luka up, he didn’t recipocrate so jj grabbed his wrist which Luka then snatched back. After that JJ tells Luka off for ignoring him, Luka says I didn’t feel you dapping me sorry coach lets do it now to make up and JJ says something walking off. So while this seems like an overblown miscommunication it also doesn’t inspire confidence in team morale.
Luka is not trying to dap up JJ at the end there. He’s going for the towel. I think JJ said something while walking away which made Luka stand back up again.
I mean I played pretty high level hockey and basketball and you just never ignore or act petty towards your head coach, that’s a recipe for getting benched for the rest of the period/half. Getting your wrist gently grabbed is nothing relatively speaking.
But also the dynamics in the nba is totally different these elite players are paid ungodly amounts of money and are the main reason for the success or failure that year of a multi billion dollar brand (the lakers) so they get way more leeway to do whatever the want and coaches have to sort of walk on egg shells around them since they are below them in the totem pole of the organization. So I have no idea how significant or unusual something like this is in the nba I don’t think anyone here does
Reminds me of a coach that said they coach egos not players. Can’t remember who said it
Phil Jackson. He was taking about Kobe and Shaq I think
Feel for JJ. He wants to win and has good ideas. His team are just full of egos that hate being called out
People act like this is a huge deal. Disagreements happen and both of them are super competitive. Literally every clip of JJ and Luka before this is them getting along great but this will get overblown.
Class act from Vando.
Also Lebron dapped Luka 3 times. He knew it was going to spiral into something worst.
Wouldn’t make too much of this, they’re both competitors
“They don’t like each other” have you people played this sport? Or.. any?
In the Balkans your coach is your biggest enemy and Luka is definitely the type to hold a grudge and try to prove things to people. He’s never in his life needed a yes-man
Grant Williams’ role on the Mavs was to be the guy to taunt Luka every single day to get him to care about practice
He’s done send him to Toronto where he will be treated like royalty
Just two competitors, totally normal for this to happen on occasion.
I mean coaches and players get heated with each other, happens probably every day all the time. Coach wants to win, and if you’re fucking up you’re gonna hear about it. Players feel like they’re doing what they’re supposed to do, so they don’t like being told they’re fucking up. As long as there’s a level of respect there it’s all good.
I’m a lip reader and Luka clearly said “I fear much trouble in the fuselage Frederick”.
Your team in still intact. Come home.
Absolutely losing it over the guy screaming “LEBRON!!!” at the top of his lungs 😭. Sometimes I wonder how the players don’t crack up at things like this
^(Luka come back we still love you)
In fairness that’s annoying as fuck. Don’t grab onto me like I’m a child. You can talk to me like an adult or you can talk to me later.
Also, he’s headed like 5 feet away to sit down. He’s not disrespecting you he’s fucking tired.
I consistently get the feeling JJ is a fucking prick who thinks he’s above everyone. It honestly feels like he thinks he’s these grown men’s father figure, while simultaneously being a huge baby. It’s really irritating to watch. You’re their coach, relax. You aren’t Bobby Knight. I can’t imagine having to actually deal with him.
Good save 😊
JJ probably called out something legit Luka missed and he got butthurt about the coaching critique
Whoever put the captioning on this video definitely can’t have a disagreement with anyone without crying
Vando doing the things that don’t show up on the stat sheet 🙏🏾🙏🏾
I’m not going to take this one interaction as a sign the locker room is lost or Luka/JJ don’t get along. However this ain’t nothing. People talking about “two high competitors”, but even still Luka is actively trying to ignore the coach. If I’m pissed about something, I’m going straight to the coach even with fire in my eyes. Brushing it off and avoiding? If anything this makes Luka look bad.
I’m pretty sure Luka started off the Warriors game pretty cold and is just pissed at himself, this was with like 50 seconds in the first quarter left. Looks like he barely wanted anything to do with even Bron here.
This is no Kelce going off on Andy Reid that’s for sure.
He’s probably thinking to himself “this job ain’t worth $165 million.”
Actually there is no way he is thinking that.
I think JJ has lost the locker room.
I love being a celtics fan
It’s nothing and something at the same time
That grab was a bit disrespectful hes not a kid lmao
This is why Ant and Vando are tight
Luka won’t ever win a ring on his own. His attitude sucks. His defense sucks. He’s a net negative on a team.
Nico?
Yes it’s me
Not a big deal but I can see JJ wearing thin on people
Maybe Nico was right
I say we focus on Vando instead, the language and conversation is confusing with JJ and Luka but Vando is clear and direct in his own.
JJ is hard to respect because he was just a corner boy
“They definitely don’t like each other” shut up, you don’t know these people.
Vando playing great Defense like always
Get Vando on my team ASAP.
Literally Luka got left hanging by JJ and wanted his dap to be acknowledged 😂
JJ is a larper who thinks he’s the main character or a TV series, ofc he would rub serious people the wrong way.
JJ is gone come this offseason lol
Coach be out of a job soon.
Great screen there by vando
Which 5 year old writes these captions lol. Some of y’all really never trained and played sports in official setting with a team and it shows
We’ve had beef mid-games with our coach all the time, but it was all water under the bridge after the match was done, always. JJ is only trying to keep Luka accountable, which is good. He’s not treating anyone differently than the rest of the team, and this is how it’s supposed to be. Luka has a bit of an ego, I admit that as a fellow Slovenian who is his loyal fan. Stop exaggerating these kind of clips, as they’re not as big as they seem. Although there over the pond in the US people love stirring drama wherever the fuck they can catch a stray, so I’m not surprised to be honest. Y’all live off this shit
Do you think JJ called him “fatass” before he walked away and that was the final straw?
Vando with the awareness!!! That’s a guy I want on my team!
Maybe Luka thought jj was a ref
He gone
No Shannon said it’s the best they don’t respect JJ because they look at him as more of a peer rather than a coach.
Luka be getting his jacket back from JJ
Nico is doing the Joakim Noah clap right now
Vando dpoy
Nothing to see here just two competitors competing to compete against top competition
They need to trade everyone so bad. This team is doomed.
I don’t think it’s a big deal at all. I’ve seen players and coaches have little quarrels countless times
probably about defense. Jjreddrjck was a good two way player to me and Luka fits everything so prettt sure he’s fed up with Luka not being the top player he can be
Luka acting like a baby.
Who would have know. 🤷
Love these hidden moments in sports 💪 normal stuff
This is nothing. I’ve seen worse interactions in the past.
Might be the most exicting play of the game.
Oh yeah they were talking about this on the radio broadcast
That…that was nothing. Baaically nothing happened in this clip.
Luka mad because JJ asked him to play defense
JJ is finished, needs to split, bad temperament, lost the locker room. Go back to commentating.
Vando playing better defense on the bench than Luka plays during the actual game.