Russell on Magic’s Leadership Comments: ‘I would say it ruffled a few feathers’

Less than two hours before he faced his old team for the first time, Brooklyn Nets point guard D’Angelo Russell admitted Friday that he was irked by comments Lakers team president Magic Johnson made this summer about Russell’s leadership, or lack thereof.

In June, Johnson explained why the Lakers traded Russell to Brooklyn and drafted Lonzo Ball, saying the team “needed a leader” and someone who also “can make the other players better.”

“I would say it ruffled a few feathers,” Russell said before the Nets played the Lakers on Friday for the first time since the summer trade. “But you control what you can control. He’s in a position to say what he wants, so I just try to do what I can do at the end of the day.

Just days before the draft, the Lakers shipped Russell, who was their No. 2 overall pick in 2015, and Timofey Mozgovto Brooklyn for Brook Lopez and the 27th overall pick. The Lakers then drafted rookie Kyle Kuzma, who started his first game Friday in place of an injured Larry Nance Jr. (broken hand).

Russell had previously downplayed Johnson’s comments and declined to respond despite being asked about it repeatedly, including at his introductory news conference in Brooklyn this summer.