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Nick Young Seemingly Takes Big Shot at D'Angelo Russell Following Lakers Trade

Former Los Angeles guard Nick Young has taken a shot at D'Angelo Russell after he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets.

Jeremy Hanna

Nov 26, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) against the Phoenix Suns during an NBA Cup game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
Nov 26, 2024; Phoenix, Arizona, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1) against the Phoenix Suns during an NBA Cup game at Footprint Center. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images / Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images
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The NBA world was shocked to see the Los Angeles Lakers making their first blockbuster trade in nearly two years by sending guard D'Angelo Russell, forward Maxwell Lewis, and three future second round draft picks for forward Dorian Finney-Smith and guard Shake Milton.

While this caught many people by surprise, many basketball experts and fans predicted that Russell would be sent to another team for more defensive help. One person who was excited to see Russell go was former Lakers guard Nick Young.

"AND STAY OUT," Young said on social media. "[Don't] bring yo a-- back to LA."

While there has been some criticism over Russell during his second stint in Los Angeles, this is more likely to do with a feud that developed between him and Young during his first tenure with the Lakers from 2015-17.

While the two were friends during Russell's rookie season, Russell later recorded a conversation between him and Young that was later leaked to press. In the video, Young can be heard saying that he was having an affair despite being engaged to rapper Iggy Azalea.

Later, Russell apologized for everything that happened.

“We play around and we joke and we laugh and we say things that you don’t really repeat," Russell told reporters on March 31, 2016, per Chuck Schilken of the Los Angeles Times. "That was just an incident of just ‘playing too much goes wrong.’ I take the full blame for that, recording the video. But leaking the video wasn't me.”

Earlier that day, Young said that the duo would "work it out" and the he couldn't "be mad forever." However, that doesn't seem to be the case.

In November 2024, Young appeared on the "Gil's Arena" podcast and explained why he didn't confront Russell physically when the event originally occurred. Young explained that former Lakers manager Mitch Kupchak and security prevented him from getting near Russell.

In the end, it seems the world had largely forgotten about this beef except when Young himself brings it up on a podcast or social media.

Despite his postseason inconsistencies, Russell has proven to be an effective scorer for the Lakers, averaging 15.3 points per game during his entire tenure with the team as well as 4.9 assists, 3.2 total rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game.

Meanwhile, Young averaged 13.1 points, 2.3 total rebounds, one assist, and 0.6 steals per game during his four year tenure with the Lakers.

More Lakers: Debut Game for New Lakers Dorian Finney-Smith, Shake Milton Revealed

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Jeremy Hanna
JEREMY HANNA

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