The time Nick Young spent with his hometown Los Angeles Lakers was like a rollercoaster ride in one of southern California’s numerous theme parks.
Young went from having what was then the best season of his career under Mike D’Antoni during his first season with the Lakers to two years of struggles on and off the floor during the seasons he spent under Byron Scott.
It culminated with in an incident in which he was filmed by former Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell admitting infidelity in a video that ultimately leaked and caused Young’s wedding engagement to come unraveled.
Young’s time in Los Angeles appeared done after that, but he instead rebounded with a new career-best season under current Lakers head coach Luke Walton. It play he was able to parlay into a spot on the Golden State Warriors over the summer.
During an appearance on the “Planet Dubs podcast,” Young spoke fondly of his time with the Lakers, even if it includes highs and lows:
“Ups and downs. L.A. is still home for me. It was a dream come true to play for your hometown team, especially to wear that purple and gold. It’s one of the most-known teams in the world, so it was dope. It also had some bad times, too. I had like a two-year run of things not going my way. But the first year was good, and the last year was good. I came in with a bang and left with a bang.”
Young ending his time with the Lakers as a fan-favorite was possibly the most unexpected outcome possible following his second-to-last season in Los Angeles. But his joyous contributions to last year’s surprising Lakers start all but essentially guaranteed he’ll always have a fond place in Lakers fans’ hearts.
Though, he did receive some boos upon entering Wednesday’s game, his first against the Lakers since signing with the Warriors. It’s plausible that was tied to Young’s pregame comments of wanting to stick it to his former teammates and coach.
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