The tunnel fight between Dennis Schroder and Luka Doncic just found its most unusual defender, but his take leaned on the minority side.
Recently, Hall of Famer Paul Pierce sided with the Kings guard on his podcast, arguing that Doncic crossed a line while many on social media torched Schroder for starting the beef first.
Paul Pierce Says Luka Doncic Crossed the Line Taunting Dennis Schroder About $84M
Just to recap, the Slovenian star went at Schroder’s bag during their Dec. 28 matchup. But the taunt was too personal for the Kings player that he couldn’t control himself, and nearly 40 minutes after the final buzzer, he hunted down Doncic in the tunnel.
The NBA didn’t wait to slap Schroder with a three-game suspension for attempting to strike the Lakers star. But Pierce didn’t hold back on “No Fouls Given and Playmaker” podcast while taking the 32-year-old’s side. He bluntly said going after someone’s money is off-limits.
“You’re talking about a man’s paper, and that’s a sensitive subject,” Pierce explained. “He lost out on a lot of money. You don’t wanna hear that.”
He compared it to the ultimate disrespect, adding, “That’s almost like messing with somebody’s girl or something like that.”
Back in 2021, Schroder turned down a four-year, $84 million extension from the Lakers. That year, he ultimately ended up signing a one-year, $2.64 million deal with the Boston Celtics, which was more than an $80 million difference and around $19 million less yearly revenue.
The fumble echoes through NBA circles as one of the worst contract decisions in modern history because from then to now, whatever contract he got was under $50M.
Doncic brought that pain right back to the surface with no mercy. In an extended clip shared by Courtside Buzz on X, the 26-year-old taunted Kings’ guard about turning down the contract, yelling, “Should’ve signed that contract, baby!”
“SHOULDA SIGNED THAT CONTRACT, BABY!”
Luka Doncic to Dennis Schroder about not signing a deal with the Los Angeles Lakers in 2022 🗣️👀
Schroder turned down a 4-year, $84 Million deal for a 1-year, $2.64 Million deal.
Thoughts? 🤔
Via. @_michaelmorales10/IG pic.twitter.com/rnhtsbUByr
— Courtside Buzz (@CourtsideBuzzX) December 31, 2025
However, Pierce didn’t stop there. “He called you pretty much a dummy for not taking that contract. Luka wrote a check his ass couldn’t cash,” the Hall of Famer said.
The tunnel confrontation escalated more quickly than expected. Numerous reports claimed that Doncic and his father, Saša, eventually made their way to their car and left as Schroder and his Kings teammates prepared to depart on the bus.
The unforeseen confrontation caught everyone off guard, and Doncic looked completely stunned when the former Lakers star faced him in the tunnel before security had to escort King’s guard.
Lakers center DeAndre Ayton was also available during the tunnel brawl, and per reports, he intervened to pull Schroder away from the altercation.
