The Los Angeles Lakers have witnessed many feuds between members of the organization throughout the years, with Russell Westbrook’s conflict with former head coach Frank Vogel perhaps being the most recent example.
Around the time Jeanie Buss fought her brothers for the control of the Lakers, D’Angelo Russell and Nick Young fell out following Russell’s prank that affected Young’s private life in 2016.
The former No. 2 pick recorded Young while he confessed to infidelity in his relationship with Iggy Azalea without his teammate’s consent. The video eventually surfaced on the internet, leading to Azalea breaking off her engagement to the former Lakers guard.
Considering the incident, it doesn’t come as a surprise that Young quickly picked Russell when asked by The Volume’s Chris Mannix which NBA player he would like to get in the ring with:
If @NickSwagyPYoung could box one NBA player…@SIChrisMannix knew right away ? pic.twitter.com/LkodjSE92i
— The Volume (@TheVolumeSports) September 2, 2022
Russell’s tomfoolery caused a rift in the locker room with the rest of the Lakers said to have started to shun the guard. Former vice president of basketball operations Magic Johnson later confirmed the incident played a role in L.A.’s decision to trade the Ohio State alum to the Brooklyn Nets in 2017.
But Russell’s had the last laugh as he enjoyed his breakout season in Brooklyn, earning him an All-Star call-up in 2019. He’s been averaging 20.3 points, 3.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists since leaving the Lakers, playing for the Nets, Golden State Warriors and — most recently — Minnesota Timberwolves.
Meanwhile, Young hasn’t made an NBA appearance since Dec. 2018 when he was waived by the Denver Nuggets only 20 days after joining the team. The 37-year-old has spent the last year with the Enemies in the Big 3 league — where he has been serving as the team’s captain.
Lakers ‘comfortable’ going into training camp with Westbrook
Earlier this year, Westbrook appeared to have become the latest persona non grata on the Lakers after an awful 2021-22 season, his beef with Vogel, and an apparent crisis in his relationship with LeBron James.
L.A. has been reportedly trying to trade the 2017 NBA MVP the whole summer and could still do so before the start of 2022-23. However, if no Westbrook trade materializes, the Lakers are reportedly “comfortable” with heading into training camp with the 33-year-old playmaker on the roster.
Previous reports claimed the Purple and Gold set the start of training camp as a “soft deadline” for Westbrook’s departure.
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