The Los Angeles Laker’s looker room has reportedly turned on rookie point guard D’Angelo Russell and the details are pretty extraordinary.
On March 24th Twitter user Fameolous tweeted a video featuring Lakers forward Nick Young responding to questions posed by his teammate, Russell. In the video, Young seems to indicate that he had relations with a woman over the summer. Young, who adopted the nickname “Swaggy P,” has however been engaged to rapper Iggy Azalea since June 2015.
NBA star Nick Young Caught on Video Admitting To Cheating On Iggy With A 19-Year-Old Girl After The Club! pic.twitter.com/9ny9tDG0Mb
— Fameolous (@Fameolous) March 24, 2016
Since the video’s release, Russell’s teammates have started giving the rookie the cold shoulder. ESPN reports that at a recent breakfast meeting, no other players would sit with Russell at his table. Also, in the locker room, guard Lou Williams walked away as Russell came to sit beside him.
Iggy took to twitter to provide this response:
hmmm i see D Angelo Russell is trending… I actually liked his film. Thanks bro.
— IGGY AZALEA (@IGGYAZALEA) March 30, 2016
Seeming to address the incident, Russell tweeted this:
Let’s be real!
— D’Angelo Russell (@Dloading) March 24, 2016
And lastly, Swaggy, provided this response before concluding with a question many of us have asked a few times this year:
I dnt play them games
— Nick Young (@NickSwagyPYoung) March 25, 2016
Twitter has reacted predictably to the incident
D’Angelo Russell lucky he ain’t in a football locker room
— Terrance Knighton (@MisterRoast98) March 30, 2016
kobe stans bet not be too hard on russell, tho. least he didn’t snitch to 5-0. remember that time your man snitched on shaq to the law?
— El Flaco (@bomani_jones) March 30, 2016
DAR: Swaggy shoots too much. Disrupts our rhythm. Takes my touches. What should I do?
Kobe: Ruin his life.
DAR:..huh?
Kobe: RUIN. HIS. LIFE.— Larry Beyince (@DragonflyJonez) March 30, 2016
D’Angelo Russell out here like… pic.twitter.com/3LZFvcgi0A
— Basketball Forever (@Bballforeverfb) March 30, 2016
D’Angelo Russell has violated not just man code but friend code everywhere. You don’t secretly record a friend in a private conversation.
— George Wrighster (@georgewrighster) March 30, 2016
“I wore number 0 because thats how many people can trust me” – D’Angelo Russell. pic.twitter.com/reFSonumIB
— Athlete Humor (@AthletesHumors) March 30, 2016
D’Angelo Russell getting this treatment for the rest of the season https://t.co/nzAHbCoInh
— Basketball Vines™ (@bballvines) March 30, 2016
Now, while this situation can range from hilarious to sad, I want to flag a few things. Firstly, D’Angelo Russell is only 20 years old, the same age as singer-songwriter Kehlani. Just yesterday we saw Kehlani attempt to take her own life following another messy situation that blended love, music, basketball, and social media. Russell, a young man who was a freshman at Ohio State just last year, is now wrapping up his first season on a dysfunctional team of grown men. The entire situation is likely emotionally demanding, and the isolation imposed by his teammates likely won’t help. While Russell may have broken codes that I hold dear, (I was once in Nick Young’s situation due to a friend’s shortcoming’s as a bro) I think it’s important to responsibly address this situation rather than shaming this young man. I, for one, hope Russell, Young, and the Lakers’ locker room can work out their differences and finish the season strong. For Kobe.
