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D'Angelo Russell Reportedly Being Isolated by Teammates After Taping Nick Young
Los Angeles Lakers rookie D'Angelo Russell is reportedly in a heap of trouble. A video emerged last week allegedly showing him secretly videotaping and recording a conversation in which he asked teammate Nick Young questions about being with other women, according to ESPN.com's Baxter Holmes and Marc Stein.
"Russell and Young are friends, but the video, which was surreptitiously shot a couple of months ago, according to a person with knowledge of it, could drive a wedge between them," reported the Los Angeles Times' Mike Bresnahan on Wednesday.
Bresnahan reported Russell apologized to Young, who accepted the apology.
Young famously got engaged to Australian rapper Iggy Azalea last summer.
Citing sources, Holmes and Stein reported that "trust in Russell is eroding" from some teammates now that the video has gone public. Sources also told the two reporters that "Lakers officials are aware of the issue and are dismayed with Russell."
"Right now, they're handling it by isolating him," a source told Holmes and Stein.
Per Holmes, after Wednesday's practice, Russell said, "Nothing [to] talk about," as he walked past reporters. Holmes also reported the Lakers said Russell and Young will both address the media before Wednesday's game against the Miami Heat.
According to Holmes and Stein, Russell can be heard on the video at one point asking Young, "You was 30 and she was 19?" with regard to a woman he met out one evening at a nightclub. The report also mentions that Russell can reportedly be heard asking, "What about Amber Rose?" before Young responded, "No, she knows my girl."
A source also told Holmes and Stein that locker room trust in Russell has nosedived to the point that none of the rookie's teammates would sit with him at a recent breakfast meeting.
Bleacher Report's Kevin Ding reported Russell thought nobody would see his prank on Snapchat:
Alex Kennedy of Basketball Insiders reported Wednesday, per league sources, that Russell's Snapchat account was hacked.
Adrienne Lawrence of ESPN added Russell could have exposed himself to criminal or civil liability.
Azalea responded on Twitter early Wednesday morning after the report was made public:
TMZ reported later in the day that Azalea and Young are "not on good terms," with both parties unhappy about the video.
The reported incident comes on the heels of a string of comments from head coach Byron Scott, who has repeatedly discussed Russell's immaturity in not-so-glowing terms.
"D’Angelo still has a playfulness about him," Scott said on Feb. 11, per Holmes. "Sometimes in practice he’s joking around and losing a little bit of focus. But he’s 19. I understand that. Chris Paul was probably like 23 years old by the time he came into the league in his mental capacity."
Earlier in February, Scott told reporters, "He's such a kid," according to Bresnahan. "I told him the other day, 'You're 19 but sometimes I think you're 14.'"
The Lakers—who are on pace to finish with the worst record in team history—tied a franchise record with a 48-point loss to the Utah Jazz on Monday evening, in which Russell scored five points on 2-of-11 shooting.
The Ohio State product has encountered a statistical backslide of late, and Monday's showing encapsulated the woes that have plagued him in recent weeks. Over his last 10 games, Russell is averaging 13.2 points and 2.3 assists while shooting 37.8 percent from the field.