Los Angeles Lakers rookie D'Angelo Russell is carrying a lot of weight on his shoulder.
Not just on the expectations for him to deliver as the second overall draft pick of 2015 but also as the present and future of the Lakers franchise.
Fans are excited about him. However, his recent description about them might create some misunderstanding. LA Daily News' Mark Medina reported D'Angelo Russell called Los Angeles Lakers fans "spoiled" for the way they reacted when he tweeted that the now retired Tracy McGrady should be the Greatest of All Time in the NBA.
This tweet of his drew reaction for Los Angeles Lakers fans' hero Kobe Bryant.
"With one click of a button, Lakers rookie point guard D'Angelo Russell made an impassioned fan base more upset than anything regarding his Summer League play.
Russell suggested in a tweet nearly two weeks ago that Tracy McGrady is the greatest player of all time. Lakers guard Kobe Bryant and his legions of fans expressed their disapproval over Russell's since-deleted tweet, though Russell said Bryant "was cool" about the incident.
"There's a lot of spoiled Lakers fans. I wasn't downgrading Kobe at all," Russell said Saturday in an interview with the Los Angeles News Group. "I was just watching a highlight tape of Tracy McGrady and I got excited. I tweeted and the whole state of California went crazy."
Of course, D'Angelo Russell is not generalizing the whole Los Angeles Lakers community. But with the fact that he is famous now and is with one of the most accomplished franchise in the world of professional basketball, he better be careful with how he use social media.
Right now, 19-year old D'Angelo Russell is busy preparing for the new season. He also hopes to meet Kobe Bryant and Steve Nash to be able to pick their brains when it comes to playing and staying in the league.
"I'm trying to figure out their mentality with each practice and each game. How do they manage to be around the game for so long and be successful?" said Russell, whom the Lakers selected second overall out of Ohio State in this year's draft. "I want to learn how to stick around this league. I don't think there's a cheat code to it. But the sooner you find it out, the better you'll be."
