D’Angelo Russell has racked up more headlines for his personal life than his game.
The 20-year-old Russell, entering his second season with the Los Angeles Lakers, has become a tabloid staple over the past few months due to off-court drama.
Following a rumored fling with supermodel Kendall Jenner — who then dated teammate Jordan Clarkson — Russell was later linked to USC volleyball star Niki Withers. The two called it quits earlier this summer, then got back together in late July.
Now, it appears his relationship status may be changing again. Russell was spotted with television host Jennifer Leon during Labor Day weekend. Photos from Leon’s cellphone, which were obtained by Terez Owens, show the brunette beauty cozying up to the NBA pro. Withers’ cryptic tweets from Tuesday could allude to trouble in paradise.
This is the second cheating scandal Russell has been involved with in the past year. In March, he recorded teammate Nick Young admitting to being unfaithful to fiancée Iggy Azalea. After the tape was released — causing terrible friction in the Lakers locker room and damaging Russell’s reputation among fellow players — Young’s relationship with the pop star imploded and the wedding was called off.
While Young has since moved on — as has Azalea — Russell’s escapades have become a staple on TMZ. At a Drake concert at the Staples Center earlier this week — with an unidentified woman in tow — Russell was heckled by fans to hide his phone. Instead of ignoring the noise, Russell allegedly responded, “Eat a d–k.”
There are high expectations for Russell, who was the No. 2 pick in last year’s draft, after an up-and-down rookie season. Russell’s minutes fluctuated at the whim of former coach Byron Scott, and his development took a back seat to Kobe Bryant’s retirement tour. But under new coach Luke Walton, Russell is fully expected to blossom — as long as his off-the-court exploits don’t get in the way.
”At this point, the damage has been done,” Russell said in March, referring to the Young video episode. “The best thing you can do is own up to it. That’s what I did, and I’m owning up to it to full effect, and just taking what comes with it.”
And as he’s learning, what comes with fame isn’t always pretty.