We live in the social media age, where every move a person makes online can tell a little something about them. What they like, what they don’t. In the case of professional athletes, their social media presence can often be over-analyzed, with the smallest of actions being blown out of proportion. Still, a recent like on Twitter by Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell may reveal how he feels about Lonzo Ball, who the Lakers are widely expected to select with the second overall pick in the 2017 NBA Draft.
Russell recently liked a post from a fan that was expressing his opinion that the Lakers would be stupid to draft Ball. Russell since unliked the tweet, but word had already gotten out and the damage was done. Here is a screenshot of the tweet on Russell’s page before he unliked it:
Is this definitive proof that Russell isn’t in favor of Ball joining him in Los Angeles? Not necessarily. It’s always possible that he misread the tweet or that someone else had his phone and liked the tweet for him. He could have even hit “like” accidentally. To underscore just how shaky this is, Bleacher Report’s Ryan Cole tweeted a screenshot where Russell appears to be in favor of Ball:
— Ry (@JustRyCole) May 24, 2017
Still, Russell liking an anti-Ball post is not a good look as it unnecessarily raises questions about just how willing Russell would be to welcome another guard onto the team. With the Lakers missing the playoffs for the fourth straight season this year, that isn’t where the focus should ideally be. It’s completely understandable if Russell doesn’t want to see someone usurp his role as the team’s starting point guard, but as a team, the goal has to be to get better, even if that means sacrificing a bit for the greater good.
Russell has come under fire previously for a cell-phone related mistake when a conversation he recorded with teammate Nick Young went public last summer. This latest hiccup may not amount to much in the long run, but with rumors already flying about teams calling the Lakers with packages for Russell after they landed the second overall pick, this is a situation worth keeping an eye on.