There has been some drama between former
Los Angeles Lakers teammates
Dennis Schroder and
D'Angelo Russell that date back to last season. These 2 point guards played together in the second half of the 2022-23 season and helped play a key part in pushing the purple and gold to the Western Conference Finals.
However, everything didn't seem to be sunshine and rainbows behind the scenes. D'Lo recently made comments about the Lakers head coach and Schroder, stating that their relationship is the reason why he (Russell) could not get close with Ham. He then tried to validate his value to the organization by stating "I'm here and he's not. I like our chances".
The
Brooklyn Nets guard fired back at those comments, saying that he did not understand his point and that at the end of the day, it just shows off immaturity. Schroder then went on to mention that "You're not really mature if you're just keeping somebody's name in your mouth and running it". There is definitely tension between these two, and it could be because the former Laker took over the starting job of the 1-time All-Star in the Western Conference Finals against the Denver Nuggets.
When asked about this whole situation,
Darvin Ham stated that he was a fan of Schroder from their time together with the Hawks. He said "Dennis is someone I love and care about. Dennis is a hell of a player".
The 30-year-old point guard from Germany took the high road and closed out his remarks by saying "I wish the Lakers everything good and for us as well". It seems like the ex-Laker was caught off guard by these jabs at him but did not want to cause any more drama by adding fuel to the fire.
Both these players are having decent seasons with their respective squads. In Brooklyn, Schroder is averaging 14.5 points, 2.7 rebounds, and 5.7 assists. Meanwhile, Russell is averaging 17.8 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 6.2 assists with the Lakers while they fight for a playoff spot. These 2 squads will face off on March 31, so we'll see what the interactions between these former teammates look like.
