Few bring a style to the game as unique as Nick Young’s—both on and off the floor. While Young certainly puts his own spin on trends, he finishes many of his drives to the hoop with that same flair. The 28-year-old from Los Angeles has had a chance to play for both hometown teams, and when asked what he experienced with the upstart success of the Clippers vs the history of the Lakers, he says there is nothing that compares to wearing the purple and gold.
“The Clippers got a lot of hype with all the highlights they do. Obviously, they got a better record than us right now,” he says, “but Lakers is tradition. I grew up being a Laker fan. The city always being Lakers fans. I remember going to the Laker parades after winning Championships. It’s nothing like being a Laker. It changed my view of the NBA right now, being a Laker.”
Asked to elaborate, he says, “We’re rockstars over here [laughs]. It’s been fun, I’m enjoying it.”
The 6-6 shooting guard, known for his scoring, had an all-time great to look up to while growing up and rooting for the Lakers. “That’s the team I picked in video games growing up. I was Kobe on the court,” he says.
What is it like being on the same squad as Kobe Bryant? “It’s giving me a chance to learn…my growth, just learning from him. Seeing how serious he takes the game, and his approach to the game on the court, how he watches film so much, how he studies the game.” —Tracy Weissenberg (@basketballista)
