Nick Young is still holding a grudge against D’Angelo Russell nearly a decade after their infamous Los Angeles Lakers cheating scandal. During an October 7 appearance on Shannon Sharpe’s “Club Shay Shay,” Young revealed that tensions became so heated that he allegedly had friends confront Russell’s brother and still wants to settle their differences in a boxing ring.
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The former NBA champion, known as Swaggy P, accused Russell of betraying their friendship by secretly recording a conversation about Young being involved with other women while engaged to rapper Iggy Azalea.
Young described the alleged retaliation and the isolation Russell experienced afterward.
“It was tough for him. He was at the lunch table, breakfast time, team meeting by himself. It was hard… You don’t want to be that guy who’s known to be hanging with a snitch. I still call him a snitch to this day,” he explained.
Young also claimed security prevented him from confronting Russell at the Lakers’ arena. He said he had arrived with several friends before being turned away. His allegation involving Russell’s brother has not been independently corroborated.
The controversy dates back to March 2016, when a private recording made by Russell surfaced online. According to ESPN’s original investigation, the video showed Russell questioning Young about women he had met outside his relationship with Azalea, whom he had proposed to in June 2015.
Russell was a rookie at the time, having been selected second overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. The recording created immediate problems inside a Lakers locker room already struggling through Kobe Bryant’s final season.
ESPN reported that teammates began distancing themselves from Russell. At one breakfast meeting, nobody sat at his table. In another instance, Lou Williams reportedly got up after Russell sat beside him.
Russell publicly apologized and acknowledged recording the conversation. However, he maintained that he never intended for the footage to circulate and denied leaking it. How the recording reached the public was never conclusively established.
The fallout also affected Young’s engagement. In June 2016, Azalea announced their breakup, explaining that she could no longer rebuild her trust in him.
Importantly, Azalea later clarified that her decision involved more than Russell’s recording. According to ABC News, she said she discovered security footage showing Young bringing other women into their shared home while she was away.
Despite the scandal, Young initially appeared willing to move forward. In August 2016, he told reporters that he and Russell were working through their issues and that he could not remain angry forever, according to ESPN.
That forgiveness apparently had limits.
In a September 2022 interview with Sports Illustrated, Young named Russell as an NBA player he wanted to fight in a boxing ring. Russell responded publicly by denying responsibility for leaking the video.
The tension resurfaced again in December 2024. According to the Los Angeles Times, Young celebrated Russell being traded from the Lakers to the Brooklyn Nets and warned him against returning to Los Angeles.
Now, Young’s latest “Club Shay Shay” revelations suggest the resentment remains personal. Although Russell has repeatedly denied leaking the footage, Young continues to view the incident as a betrayal, even as his own admitted infidelity and Azalea’s separate discoveries remain central to why the relationship ended.
