D’Angelo Russell made a mistake. The rookie point guard recorded a conversation with teammate Nick Young, in which Young talked about being with women other than his fiancé Iggy Azalea. That video was made public, and the NBA world seemed to have been set on fire.
Word spread of Russell being isolated by his teammates and the 20-year-old seems to have lost their trust. This all stemmed from a prank gone too far. We have all done things we regret, and you’re lying if you say you haven’t. D’Angelo knows he did wrong. All that he wants to let everyone know he’s sorry.
Russell spoke with Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo!’s ‘The Vertical’, telling Woj that he never meant to hurt anyone (or their relationship). D’Angelo mentioned that he and Young record themselves doing dumb stuff all the time and watch it later to laugh at it. The former second overall pick made it clear that he was sorry and is looking to repair relationships. For anyone who read that piece, it seems clear that Russell means what he said. D’Angelo said all the things you would want a franchise player to say. He knows what’s ahead of him will be tough, but Russell seems more than ready to move forward.
In a quick press conference before tonight’s game versus Miami, Russell said: “he feels as sick as possible,” also adding that he “cherishes his friendship” with Young. Like us, D’Angelo said he has “no clue” on how the video got out. He reiterated many of the things he said in the aforementioned interview. D’Lo handled himself like a professional and seems to have already learned from this mess.
As for Nick Young, he had this to say to the press:
Young: “I think it’s best me and D’Angelo handle our situation in a private manner. It’s something we need to talk about.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) March 31, 2016
Nick wants to handle it himself and intends to clear the air with his rookie teammate.
From a fan’s point of view, both parties are in the wrong. Russell and Young did things they shouldn’t have been proud of, and neither of them should be viewed as victims. We should all look to move on from this ugly situation. It has been a bad look for the Lakers franchise, players, and fans (obviously to a lesser extent). One can hope to look back on this and laugh, but it’ll take time. A lot hinges on how forgiving Young and teammates are, plus Russell’s play during this tumultuous time. The next few weeks should be telling for how the situation plays out going forward.
