D'Angelo Russell is the Lakers' star rookie point guard, but he certainly isn't acting like one according to sources close to the team.
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The Lakers are already having a terrible season for Kobe Bryant's farewell tour and the team has been eliminated from the playoffs with a 15-59 record right now. What's worse is that there are now some serious issues going on in the locker room, according to ESPN.
Teammates are quickly souring on Russell and isolating him because he pulled a stunt that borders on unforgivable (and it may well be). While in the locker room — a prized safe haven —- Russell asked teammate Nick Young about other women in his life and, according to the report, secretly taped the conversation. Young supposedly opens up about being with other women, even though he's engaged to rapper Iggy Azalea.
The video is believed to have come to light last week via a celebrity gossip site's Twitter account. While it's unclear how the video became public, sources told ESPN the resulting tension in the Lakers' locker room in recent days was among the factors that contributed to L.A.'s horrific beatdown in Salt Lake City on Monday night. The Lakers took a 48-point pounding from the Utah Jazz, which was the Lakers' worst loss in franchise history.
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.
That's pretty awful and it sounds like an incredibly bad situation for an already terrible team. Even worse, there may nt be anyway for Russell to repair this damage. His trust and credibility has clearly taken a beating, and it won't matter what his potential as a player is. You can't betray your teammates in place that as close to an athletic house of worship as it gets.
Russell, who is now 20, is averaging 13.1 points, 3.4 assists and 3.4 rebounds over 27.5 minutes in 72 games this season.
Young hasn't played in 10 games and didn't travel with the team to Salt Lake City because of gastroenteritis, according to the team.
