Kobe Bryant’s Message To D’Angelo Russell: ‘You Got To Just Play’

Dan Duangdao
2 Min Read

Heading into the matchup against the Miami Heat, there was controversy surrounding Los Angeles Lakers guards D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young. A video of the two players having a private conversation was leaked and there was a report of the team isolating themselves from the rookie.

Before the game, Russell addressed the media where he was apologetic for his actions and is willing to do whatever is necessary to regain the trust of his teammates.

With adversity surrounding him, Kobe Bryant had a message for his rookie teammate according to Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News:

Following the 102-100 win over the Heat, Bryant publicly discussed the situation according to Ryan Ward of Examiner:

It is unfortunate for everyone involved and it will take some time for the team to come together. While this will continue to be discussed, Russell and Young took the first step by addressing the situation.

With seven games remaining in the season, the Lakers look to finish on a high note. While Bryant (general soreness) was limited to nine minutes against the Heat, the young core stepped up in the final minutes as Julius Randle made a game-winner with 1.9 seconds remaining in overtime.

Heading into the off-season, the Lakers will be armed with a top-three protected draft pick as well as a projected $65 million to pursue top free agents. With this being the third season of not making the playoffs, the franchise has another opportunity to quickly rebuild themselves into contenders.

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Dan Duangdao was the managing editor at Lakers Nation (2013-16, 2018-20). He is currently the founder at LA Sports Media, Lake Show, Raiders Nation, Rams Nation, Kings Nation, Galaxy Nation, and MMA Rumors. Born and raised in Southern California and a lifelong Los Angeles sports and mixed martial arts fan, his first NBA game was Kobe Bryant and the Lakers against the Golden State Warriors with Michael Jordan in attendance during the 1998-99 NBA season. He was previously a contributor at HOOPSWORLD (now Basketball Insiders) and an NBA editor at ClutchPoints. Follow him on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram: @DanDuangdao.
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