Goga Bitadze Fires Back at Luka Doncic Family Accusations

Tensions boiled over between Luka Doncic and Goga Bitadze during the Los Angeles Lakers matchup with the Orlando Magic, but the aftermath has quickly turned into a he-said, he-said situation.

The incident resulted in double technical fouls after an on-court exchange, with Doncic later claiming that Bitadze crossed a line by making comments about his family.

“…He said he would f— my whole family and at some point, this is a basketball court, and some point I can’t stand it. I gotta stand up for myself. But I know I gotta do better. My teammates, I know they have my back, so I let them down today, but hopefully it will get rescinded.”

However, Bitadze has strongly denied those accusations, offering a very different version of events.

“I have all the respect for Luka and what he has done,” Bitadze said in an interview with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin. “And I really respect everybody’s family. 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 I 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.”

When asked to clarify what was exchanged, Bitadze said: “He said something about my mother, which, it’s really inappropriate. We don’t say that stuff during the game. … So I just said whatever he told me or [about] my mother [and] said it back.”

Bitadze added, “It was just in the heat of the moment. I heard what he said, and I felt like I had to respond the same way. So, from my side, if he feels like I said something too much or crossed the line, I apologize as a man. I can take [accountability], but I didn’t say anything, but what he said.”

“He said something about my mother, which, it’s really inappropriate. We don’t say that stuff during the game. … So I just said whatever he told me or [about] my mother [and] said it back.”

READ MORE: Heat to Move On From Terry Rozier Amid Ongoing Investigation