Deandre Ayton left Thursday’s Los Angeles Lakers game with an injury, and fans think one of his teammates took a shot at him after the game.
The Lakers fell to the Denver Nuggets 120-113 at Ball Arena in Denver, Co. on Thursday, with Ayton departing after just 4 minutes and 30 seconds of action. He did not return with what the team called a left knee injury.
After the game, Ayton’s backup, Jaxson Hayes, offered up a comment that some felt was directed at Ayton.
“I like the challenge,” Hayes said. “That’s the competitive nature in all of us players. If you don’t like the challenge, then why are you here?”
Did Jaxson Hayes take a shot at Ayton postgame 👀
— LakersMuse (@LALMuse) March 6, 2026
“It’s fun, I mean I like the challenge. That’s the competitive nature of us players. If you don’t like the challenge then why are you here?” pic.twitter.com/xMhhI7Zt5j
Hayes may well have meant nothing by the comments. However, Ayton has faced consistent questions about his effort to the point that it seems to be angering some of his teammates. Even though there is no reason to think Ayton’s injury was not a legitimate issue, his early exit coupled with the timing of Hayes’ remark was enough for some people to wonder.
Hayes wound up scoring 19 points with five rebounds in the loss. If Ayton is forced to miss time, his role will expand going forward.
As for Ayton, he has not fit well with the Lakers and has not endeared himself to fans. Most of them would probably like to see Hayes play ahead of him at this point.
