D’Angelo Russell has officially apologized for posting a video of Los Angeles Lakers Nick Young ostensibly talking about sexual conquests that took place while he was dating and/or engaged to present-day fiancee Iggy Azalea.
From ESPN.com:
“I feel as sick as possible,” Russell said in a news conference before the team’s 102-100 overtime win against the Heat. “Been asked 110 times, and my answer and feeling stay same.”
Russell was booed by the home crowd when he was announced in Wednesday’s starting lineup, a reaction he said after the game that he expected.
“I can’t really show my face anywhere without people hating me right now,” Russell said after the game. “I don’t know. I try to handle it the right way and remember why I’m here, which is to play basketball.”
Prior to the game, Russell said he regrets the whole situation and that he wishes he “could make things better right away but I can’t.”
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Russell said he feels like he has put Young’s personal life in jeopardy.
“Honestly, I do,” he said. “I’ve always been known as a guy that plays around a lot, and he has been, too. To be around somebody that’s similar, with the same similar characteristics, is different. He’s one of the guys that I’ve always talked to about anything, and I cherished our friendship. For me to have an incident like this come up and put it in jeopardy is not what I was intending to do.”
Russell, 20, said he has apologized to Young for the incident.
“I reached out to [Young], let him know my apologies,” Russell said. “I don’t know if they were accepted. I wouldn’t blame him.”
This is a lot to take in, and it’s still not entirely clear how this video, which was apparently recorded months ago, actually got out.
It’s also unclear as to what Young is admitting to on the video. He is difficult to understand as he mumbles, but it sure does sound like he’s confessing to some pretty shady relationship stuff.
For all the talk about how this impacts Russell’s standing within the Lakers, it’s important to remember these are personal lives that are being affected as well. Iggy is an innocent bystander in all of this, dragged into the limelight because of a potentially unfaithful boyfriend and his pretty-much-a-teenager teammate.
On the Lakers front, however, it’s unlikely this has some type of profound, lasting impact on Russell’s career. He is the primary cornerstone for this organization, and while this creates some trust issues within the locker room, there is plenty of time for him to earn back the respect of the franchise and his teammates.
It helps, too, that this Lakers team is more of a placeholder. Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle may be around for the long haul, but everyone else, including Young himself, won’t be around for the next five years to hold a grudge that impacts perception of Russell within the locker room and around the league.
Indeed, this is an unfortunate situation, even if it’s difficult to feel sorry for Young—unless, of course, he didn’t actually cheat. But hopefully, over time, everyone involved will be able to move on in all aspects of the situation, basketball and personal lives alike.
