D’Angelo Russell: ‘There’s a lot of Spoiled Lakers Fans’
It all started with a tweet from Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell.
The No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft has been making headlines ever since the Lakers shocked the world by selecting the true point guard out of Ohio State and passing on center Jahlil Okafor.
It didn’t take long for Laker Nation to get behind such a bold move that was greater amplified by a franchise known for all-time great big men the likes of Shaquille O’Neal, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Wilt Chamberlain.
Russell is mindful of that fact but, at the same time, can’t worry too much about it. That kind of pressure can break a man and not allow their career to leave the ground.
"Pressure is something you’ve got to get over, with anything. You’ve got to prepare for it. I always preach, I didn’t get here from being the most athletic guy, the fastest guy, the tallest guy, or the strongest. I got here from my mind.That’s something when I watch Kobe interviews or listen to Kobe talk, he’s mentally on another level, when I listen to him, I relate to that."
Los Angeles is a city that will eat you alive. It has an extremely passionate fan base that doesn’t have a problem with getting in a player’s ear and asking questions second. They’re even harder on their own players. It’s tough to block all of that out.
Winning is the only thing that quenches their thirst for blood, but winning alone doesn’t suffice. Wins have to be followed by championships or at last the season is lost.
Russell may be on the verge of trying to forge his own path, but the city will mold him into their liking. Up until this point, he’s done a pretty good job of navigating the Hollywood scene and keeping his head above water.
However, this time he really stepped in it.
It’s one thing to referenced Tracy McGrady as one of the greatest players of his generation, it’s another thing to refer to him as the “GOAT” especially when you share a locker room with Kobe Bryant. That guy has been fighting his entire career to earn that distinction.
Bryant’s not one to sit back and watch somebody take that from him either, let alone a rookie. Russell’s going to have to learn real quick that just because you said it on Twitter doesn’t mean it won’t carry any weight or go unnoticed. Somebody’s always watching.
Russell tried to account for his mistake quickly, but the damage had already been done. The media had already gotten wind of his blasphemous remarks, and he felt the blow back especially from Lakers fans.
Who can blame them?
The issue here isn’t “T-Mac.” McGrady is one of the most underrated players in NBA history. No doubt about that. It’s a shame his career is embodied by “what if.” It’s one-two between Grant Hill and him in that department.
The problem here is Russell flapping his gums like nobody is listening. Like everything in life, there are consequences for your actions, and sometimes a rookie needs to learn when to keep his mouth shut. This doesn’t have to be the case every time, but somethings you shouldn’t touch.
https://twitter.com/Dloading/status/632369835129761792
Bryant brushed off Russell’s off-the-cuff remarks. A veteran move to say the least, and it’s not all that surprising Bryant showed the rookie some mercy. That may be a different story once the season rolls around.
Laker fans though, not so much. The “Mamba Army” is fierce. Maybe the fiercest in the land. When they feel their guy is being attacked, they’re going to defend him no matter the cost. Just because the media doesn’t have Bryant’s back doesn’t mean they won’t. In fact, you can count on it.
Ultimately, it got to the point where Russell felt like the best thing he could do was delete the initial tweet all together. Probably not a bad move.
"There’s a lot of spoiled Lakers fans. I wasn’t downgrading Kobe at all. I was just watching a highlight tape of Tracy McGrady, and I got excited. I tweeted, and the whole state of California went crazy."
However, that was a bad move. It appears as though Russell hasn’t learn his lesson quite yet. Downplaying the McGrady tweet by saying Lakers fans are “spoiled.” Not a good look.
It doesn’t mean it’s not true, but it certainly doesn’t help his case. The Lakers have won 16 championships and account for nearly half of the appearances in the NBA Finals. They’ve also had the good fortune of the “Black Mamba” for the last twenty years.
Russell did try to cover his tracks some more.
"When people say ‘the next Kobe,’ there’s not going to be a next Kobe. There’s not going to be a next Michael Jordan, but there’s something you can steal from all those players, stir it up and get what you get out of it. And, I want to be that player that’s the next D’Angelo Russell.I’m not disrespecting Kobe. No disrespect to anybody. There’s never going to be a ‘next one’ of those icons that you consider in this era."
Smooth finish. Maybe there is hope for this rookie after all. At the very least, Russell can learn from this experience and realize deleting a tweet doesn’t stop a social-media firestorm. Once it’s said, you can’t take it back no matter how bad you wish you could.
Russell is going to be a fine player for the Lakers this season and an adequate star for this organization in the future, but he might want to stay off of Twitter for the time being.
Wait, did he just compare himself to Jordan and Bryant in the same breath?
Next: Should the Lakers Move on From Kobe Bryant?
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