Not-So-Friendly Fire: Why Luka Doncic And Dennis Schroder Really Snapped | EXPLAINED

Last Updated:January 14, 2026, 12:12 IST

Doncic and Schroder’s feud erupted after months of insults, EuroBasket rivalry, and contract jabs, leading to a postgame confrontation and Schroder’s three-game NBA suspension.

Luka Doncic and Dennis Schroder (AP)

The Luka Doncic–Dennis Schroder feud didn’t start on December 28: it just boiled over then.

What looked like routine NBA trash talk during the Lakers–Kings game turned into a full-blown postgame confrontation, and now a former teammate has added fresh fuel to the fire.

On-Court Chirping Turns Personal

Doncic and Schroder jawed at each other throughout the game, but the tension didn’t end at the final buzzer. Roughly 40 minutes after the game, Schroder spotted Doncic near the Lakers’ tunnel.

And that’s when things escalated.

According to the NBA, Scroder confronted Doncic, furious over being repeatedly called a “b*tch" on the court and then seeing Luka walk away as if nothing had happened. The league concluded Schröder attempted to strike Doncic, earning the German guard a rare three-game suspension.

This Beef Started Long Before December

Per ESPN’s Shams Charania, the hostility stretches back months — even into the offseason.

Doncic had allegedly been calling Schroder the same insult “for the last few games, even going back to the offseason." That timeline aligns with EuroBasket 2025, where Schröder led Germany to a comeback win over Slovenia, knocking Doncic out of medal contention.

Germany went on to win the tournament. Schröder took home EuroBasket MVP. Slovenia went home angry.

Mocking Contracts, Mocking Careers

Fan-shot footage revealed another layer: Doncic reportedly mocked Schroder for turning down the Lakers’ four-year, $82 million offer in 2021 — a decision that changed the trajectory of the German’s career.

That combination — insults on the court and jabs at his career choices — appears to have pushed Scroder over the edge.

“He Put His Hands on Him"

Former teammate Markieff Morris, now a free agent, claims things nearly got physical.

“When they called me and told me, ‘because he put his hands on him,’ it wouldn’t surprise me if it was Dennis," Morris said on his podcast with brother Marcus.

“He put his hands on him and (Deandre) Ayton had to grab Schröder and pull him off to the side."

Ayton’s intervention likely prevented the incident from becoming much worse and from triggering an even harsher suspension.

Why Luka Kept Poking

Schroder has never shied away from challenging stars — Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving can attest to that. But international pride cuts deeper. EuroBasket wounds linger. And Luka, smiling through the trash talk, kept pressing buttons.

Eventually, one of them snapped.

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