Kenyon Martin calls out Luka Doncic for taking on-court issue to the media: "If it's crossing the line that much, why not deal with it in real time?"
Kenyon Martin has never been one to back away from any confrontation. On the floor, he was a renowned tough guy, never backing down from players during his glory days in the league; whether it was the humongous Shaquille O'Neal, Corey Maggette or Karl Malone, the athletic power forward wanted all the smoke, all the time.
Off the court, he was and still is very much the same way, even confronting a staffer of the "Gil's Arena" podcast for making fun of his speech impediment. So, when it came to the recent conflict involving Los Angeles Lakers star Luka Doncic , who got miffed at some below-the-below trash talk that Orlando Magic big man Goga Bitadze allegedly made, K-Mart had an issue with it. He claimed that the Slovenian ace should have dealt with it himself instead of snitching to the media.
More action, less talk
With the NBA imposing stiff fines and harsh penalties to players who engage in violent shenanigans, athletes think long and hard before balling up their fists. However, K-Mart implied on "Gil's Arena" that there's a time for talking and a time for settling things the old-fashioned way. He believes that involving family in trash-talk involves the latter option.
"This is tough, Kenyon talking right now. Like, if you're so bothered by what the other person is saying in the moment and it — like if it's crossing the line in that much, man, why come to the — like why come tell the media?" Kenyon said . "Why not deal with it in real time? That's my whole thing."
K-Mart acknowledged that a lot of players in the league certainly get away with just acting tough, so why couldn't Luka do just that?
"Act like you do. A lot of them do it," he continued. "'Hold me back. Hold me back. Hold me back!'"
According to renowned lip reader Legendz, Goga had tried to rile Luka up when he was shooting a free throw, and the latter responded by saying , "J*bem ti mater" (I f—k your mom)."
Unwilling to be one-upped, the Georgian big man responded by saying, "J*bem ti familiju" (I f—k your whole family)."
This was the moment when things escalated as Luka approached the ref and told him what Goga was saying. With the game official seemingly oblivious to the verbal exchange, Luka took matters into his own hands and told Goga: "I'll f—k you up, don't mention my f—cking family again."
No fistfights needed
As prevalent as trash talk is in professional leagues like the NBA, there's an unspoken code that excludes family members and loved ones from being mentioned. Draymond Green , one of the nastiest verbal warriors of this generation, understands this and recently mentioned on his podcast that Luka was in the right to defend himself.
K-Mart, though, asserted that Luka should have done more than just talk to get his point across.
"I ain't saying you got to kill him, hurt him. Come through the lane, shoot him some," Kenyon said, mimicking a hard foul. "Get him back real quick. It ain't necessarily there got to be no fist fight for you to get him back is what I'm saying."
K-Mart is undoubtedly a competitor woven from old-school cloth, one who believes that one of the best ways to make a point on the hardwood floor is through physical, not verbal, means.
This story was originally published by Basketball Network on Mar 25, 2026, where it first appeared in the Latest News section. Add Basketball Network as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
