One day soon, this story will lose its allure. Reporters won’t track D’Angelo Russell‘s every move, they’ll stop checking in on every tweet Nick Young or Iggy Azalea sends out, and post-game pressers will be back to focusing on the fact that every couple of days draws Kobe Bryant closer to the final game of his storied, illustrious, inimitable career.
Until that day comes, D’Angelo Russell is going to show up to a hostile environment every time he checks into work, and last night was just the beginning. Following a brief pre-game press conference, during which both Russell and Young told their sides of the story, the Lakers took on the Miami Heat at home, and pulled off a fitting overtime victory as Lamar Odom—sitting courtside for his first NBA game since being found unconscious in Nevada last year—looked on.
According to several reporters, last night, Russell was met with “heavy boos” and heckling when he was announced before the game and during gameplay, including calls of “traitor” from a particular fan. You can hear the mixed reaction in the below video, and check out a couple press reactions/anecdotes under that.
Mixed reviews for D’Angelo Russell’s intro in tonight’s starting lineups pic.twitter.com/IcdHNmkgVk
— Serena Winters (@SerenaWinters) March 31, 2016
Man, quite a few boos from the Staples Center crowd when D’Angelo Russell was introduced tonight. — Baxter Holmes (@BaxterHolmes) March 31, 2016
A fan behind press row just yelled “traitor” when D’Angelo Russell touched the ball.
— Michael Pina (@MichaelVPina) March 31, 2016