It seems that the entire Los Angeles Lakers attention has been focused on Kobe Bryant’s farewell tour as he prepares to retire at the conclusion of this NBA season, and if you are tired of hearing about it I can’t blame you but there is a new storyline to focus on that may just pique your interest. 

If you aren’t sure exactly what I’m talking about let me catch you up; news broke on March 30^th that D’Angelo Russell, the Lakers number two overall draft choice in last seasons draft out of Ohio State, had allegedly recorded a video of his teammate Nick Young admitting to cheating on his fiancé Iggy Azalea throughout their entire relationship. He brags in the video about hooking up with a 19 year old at a club after a game, and about being with other celebrities, none of whom were mentioned by name. 

I’m not going to sit here and say if what Russell did was right or wrong, because everyone has their own opinion. If you ask athletes they will say it was wrong because what happens in a locker room should stay between the people on the team. In such a cutthroat business such as the NBA there is no room for snitches, trust is something that great teams are built on and to be honest nobody in that locker room or front office can say that they trust D’Angelo at this moment. 

On the other hand if Nick Young is foolish enough to be cheating on his fiancé but then go around bragging about it to his young teammate, who is to say that what happened with the recording won’t end up being the best thing in the end. Maybe it will save the couple millions by not having a wedding and then saving them from a divorce when she found out about it by herself later on down the road.

The part of this scandal that I found the most interesting was how much backlash he took. Basketball analysts criticized his maturity, saying that nobody in the league could trust him again and how his whole career might be derailed by the video. 

They made all of these accusations before Russell had a chance to speak out and explain what happened, which he later publicly stated his side and took full responsibility as he apologized to Young personally as well as the Laker’s organization as a whole. 

People need to realize that for a 20 year old he is mature, he may have made a mistake but he was enough of a man to come out and tell people it was his fault. People in the media are hired to make stories bigger then they are and I understand individuals questioning his maturity but maturity comes with age and right now you can’t expect much from somebody who cannot legally buy his own alcohol. 

Time heals all wounds, and lucky for Russell he has plenty of good years left in his NBA career.