The past few weeks have seen veteran forward Jarred Vanderbilt re-emerge as an important part of the Los Angeles Lakers’ rotation. His defensive intensity, attitude and energy have been greatly needed and he has made an impact for this team overall.
That attitude and intensity seemed to boil over after the Lakers’ loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night, however. As the teams began to exit the court, Vanderbilt confronted Spurs forward Jeremy Sochan and even stuck his finger in his face, leading to Sochan’s teammate Julian Champagnie shoving the Laker:
Vando actually made contact with Sochan, which is why Champagnie shoved him. Not sure what was said to cause it. pic.twitter.com/JanpD9mZfH
— Lakers Nation (@LakersNation) January 8, 2026
There was never a moment during the game that stood out where the two had to be separated or anything of that nature so the incident came as a bit of a surprise. While Vanderbilt declined to talk to reporters after the game, Sochan spoke about it, sharing some interesting comments about the Lakers forward, via Michael C. Wright of ESPN:
“I must’ve said something to him during the game, and maybe it wasn’t very nice,” Sochan said. “He must have taken it in the wrong way and told me to see him after the game. So, I did. And we just had a polite exchange. I was, I think, intact and very joyful and the other person wasn’t. Yeah, he just wasn’t emotionally stable in that moment. So, it’s something he has to work on. It’s just life.”
Sochan is known as a bit of an agitator who can get under opponent’s skin so him saying something that bothered Vanderbilt is feasible. And Vanderbilt is not one to back down from confrontation so if he says he will see you after the game, he means it and obviously he did what he said he would.
You never want anything to escalate to physicality and with Vanderbilt poking Sochan in the face, he will likely face a fine from the league. The attitude he brings to the Lakers is important and this team needs that, but he has to be able to keep things together and not allow his emotions to boil over into something more serious.
Luka Doncic proud of Lakers’ effort in loss to Spurs
Vanderbilt actually made his third start of the season as the Lakers were down three starters against the Spurs. And even though they lost, Luka Doncic was proud of the effort his team gave despite being shorthanded.
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