In the aftermath of a leaked video of teammate Nick Young, a seemingly contrite Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell told The Vertical that he felt “sick” and “sorry” and insisted that he never considered that “these pranks that we pull on each other could have bigger consequences.”
Russell, the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft and a cornerstone of the Lakers’ future, has been leveled with the public revelation of a 30-second video that included Young discussing relationships with women outside of his engagement to entertainer Iggy Azalea.
Russell used his phone to make the video in December, but it wasn’t until last week that a celebrity website obtained the video and made it public.
When asked about how the video left his possession and became public months after it was recorded, Russell told The Vertical: “Honestly, I have no idea. Me and Nick, that’s our friendship: We play around a lot. Anyone who knows him and knows me, they know that about us. But I apologize for recording that video. I never intentionally wanted to hurt anyone. I never wanted what was said in there to get out. It was my fault that it did, but that was never intentional.
“The thing is, we record ourselves doing dumb stuff all the time,” Russell said. “On the road or home, wherever. We go back and watch what we did and said and laugh at ourselves. I guess I just never thought that these pranks we pull on ourselves could have bigger consequences. That was a big lesson I learned.
“I’ve said to myself over and over: What could anyone possibly gain by intentionally doing something that could hurt someone else’s relationship? I never wanted to hurt anyone. I’m sorry for it.”
For Russell, the larger issue remains how his teammates – current and future – will accept him. As a point guard, Russell will need players to buy into his leadership. At 20 years old, that was a job that was hard enough for him already. Russell declined to discuss how his teammates had treated him in recent days, but acknowledged that he had relationships to repair.
After leaving Ohio State after a sparkling freshman season a year ago, Russell wanted desperately for the Lakers to draft him at No. 2 overall. Despite an uneven year of performance and playing time – and now the fervor over the video – Russell insists that his desire to play and ultimately blossom with the Lakers is unwavering.
Via Yahoo!Sports