The Los Angeles Lakers-San Antonio Spurs postgame turned messy Wednesday night. Before a quiet exit after San Antonio’s blowout victory, some verbal consequences became must-see drama near the Frost Bank Center tunnel.
Jarred Vanderbilt jabbed Jeremy Sochan with his left finger following their verbal exchange, prompting Julian Champagnie to immediately shove the Lakers forward.
De’Aaron Fox tried playing the peacemaker role, grabbing Vando to walk him away. But the damage was already done as both squads nearly brawled as tensions boiled over from the one-sided 107-91 final.
Jarred Vanderbilt and Jeremy Sochan exchange words —
Vando pokes Sochan in the face. 👀
— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) January 8, 2026
Their beef was not just escalated after the Lakers’ loss. Just to recap, the two forwards were ejected during a March 2025 game after Sochan threw the ball at Vanderbilt, who responded with a shove. That cold-blooded history added fuel to the fire on Wednesday’s postgame.
Fans Show No Mercy Roasting Jarred Vanderbilt as Soft AF
Sochan trolled Vando postgame, saying the Lakers forward wasn’t emotionally stable and needs to work on himself. He kept his cool while delivering that burn. Meanwhile, Vanderbilt ghosted reporters in the locker room.
NBA fans on social media went nuclear on the Lakers forward. They weren’t buying the tough-guy act after watching him soft-poke like a weak man.
One fan wrote, “Did dude really just get poked in the face?”
Another fan added, “Vando is soft. Poking when somebody is dividing you from the other guy is the softest thing you can do.”
A third noted, “lmao it’s bec this happened last year. vando’s weak ass can’t push Sochan at full force that he’s still salty to this day.”
The fourth shared, “Vando soft af.”
A fifth claimed, “Vanderbilt really the scum of the earth lmao.”
A random X user joked, “Ever since Luka came to the Lakers vando doing this whole fake tough guy shit.”
Another fan claimed, “Vando is Lakers biggest fraud.”
Fans clowned Vanderbilt for playing tough only when players separated both of them. The optics looked terrible for the Lakers forward who tried projecting enforcer energy but came off desperate instead.
The Spurs dominated with a 66-40 paint advantage and 53-22 bench scoring edge. They cooked a Lakers team without LeBron James, who sat out the back-to-back games due to foot and sciatica issues.
Vanderbilt started in The King’s place but managed to put just four points in the team’s bucket. His biggest contribution? Becoming a viral meme for all the wrong reasons.
