Things can't get much worse in Laker Land.........
Reports: Russell losing teammate support after video emerges — This hasn’t been the easiest season for Los Angeles Lakers rookie D’Angelo Russell, as the No. 2 pick in the 2015 Draft has been criticized often by coach Byron Scott for his play. The latest issue Russell has to deal with is one that is reportedly affecting him off the court. According to ESPN.com’s Baxter Holmes and Marc Stein, Russell is being ostracized by Lakers teammates after a private conversation he and teammate Nick Young had emerged recently on social media:
Sources told ESPN.com that some teammates’ trust in Russell is eroding after a video surfaced in the past week that shows Russell recording a private conversation between himself and teammate Nick Young. Young does not appear to realize he is being taped.
The video, which is believed to have come to light last week via the Twitter account of a celebrity gossip site, shows Russell filming Young while asking questions about Young being with other women. Young got engaged to Australian rapper Iggy Azalea last summer.
While it’s unclear how the video became public, sources say the resulting tension in the Lakers’ locker room in recent days was among the factors that contributed to L.A.’s limp showing in Salt Lake City on Monday night, when they absorbed a 48-point pounding from the Utah Jazz. The loss was the Lakers’ worst in franchise history.
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“Right now,” one source said, “they’re handling it by isolating him.”
Austin Brown, Russell’s agent from Creative Artists Agency, declined to comment when reached Tuesday.
Said one team insider: “This was a prank gone wrong and a mistake by [Russell], and he has to be held accountable, but I would hope he isn’t overly criticized for it.”
The emergence of the video, sources said, has been the talk of the locker room for the past several days and has led to a tangible strain between Russell and some teammates.
At a recent breakfast meeting, one source said, no Laker would sit with Russell at his table. The source added that, in another instance, Russell came into the locker room and sat next to guard Lou Williams, who got up and walked away.
“It’s bad,” one team source told ESPN.com’s Ramona Shelburne. “It’s about as bad as it can get. There were trust issues already. Now there’s no trust.”
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In the video, Russell asks Young at one point, “You was 30 and she was 19?” referencing Young’s age and the age of another woman that Young said that he met in a nightclub.
“What about Amber Rose?” Russell later says, mentioning another celebrity.
“No, she knows my girl,” Young is recorded as saying.
Later in the conversation, while apparently still recording, Russell is heard telling Young, “I’m glad you told my video all that.”
“Huh?” Young says, turning his face toward Russell before the video cuts off.
