Clint Capela Fires Back at Lakers' Deandre Ayton for Viral Comment

After recording his first double-double since January on Tuesday against the visiting Orlando Magic at Crypto.com Arena, Los Angeles Lakers veteran center Deandre Ayton made some interesting and telling comments in the locker room about his role with the team during the 2025-26 NBA season.

Ayton hasn’t been thrilled with the way he’s been used by Lakers head coach JJ Redick and his coaching staff, and that frustration seemed to boil over after he had his best game since Jan. 30 against the Washington Wizards. He took a subtle shot at Houston Rockets center Clint Capela, which went viral.

Clint Capela Blasts Deandre Ayton After Poor Performance vs. Suns

Clint Capela Houston Rockets — Feb 23, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Rockets center Clint Capela (30) grabs a rebound against Utah Jazz forward Brice Sensabaugh (28) in the third quarter at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Thomas Shea-Imagn Images | Thomas Shea-Imagn Images

On Thursday, the Lakers played their first matchup of a two-game road trip away from Los Angeles, taking on the shorthanded Phoenix Suns at the Mortgage Matchup Center. Ayton had the ideal opportunity to capitalize on his solid outing against the Magic, but fell flat in a big way, finishing four rebounds, two points and a steal in 23 minutes and a team-worst -24.

Prompting after the Lakers lost to the Suns, following Austin Reaves’ attempt at a game-tying three-pointer with time expiring, Capela took to social media to take a jab at Ayton, via Daniel Starkand of Lakers Nation.

Clint Capela responds… pic.twitter.com/JIAaw5W7V2
— Daniel Starkand (@DStarkand) February 27, 2026

As for Capela, he helped the Rockets get the win over the Magic on Thursday night in Orlando, finishing with six rebounds, four points, three assists and four blocks in 17 minutes off the bench. Although far from monster numbers from the veteran big man, the Lakers would take these stats over Ayton’s performance against the Suns in a heartbeat.

Even though Ayton has shown flashes of his potential during his first season with the Lakers, he’s been anything but consistent, which has made him a target for frequent criticism, and justifiably so.

Deandre Ayton ladies and gentlemen! pic.twitter.com/xLahB2dYdA
— RedLakeShow (@Le23james) February 27, 2026

Although Ayton’s comments, poor performance and Capela’s reaction will likely make the rounds on Friday on every media outlet and on social media, the former No. 1 overall pick will have an opportunity to bounce back quickly this weekend, with the Lakers playing a back-to-back against the Golden State Warriors at the Chase Center on Saturday, followed by a game back in Los Angeles against the Sacramento Kings on Sunday.

It’ll be interesting to see how Ayton responds after this forgettable performance and all the criticism he’s bound to get before taking the floor against the Warriors in the Bay Area on Saturday.