D'Angelo Russell apologizes for Nick Young video: 'I am sick'

After finding himself in the spotlight for all the wrong reasons, Los Angeles Lakers rookie D'Angelo Russell is hoping he and his teammates can move past the reported schism in their locker room.

Russell created said schism by recording a video of Nick Young talking about stepping out on his fiancee, Iggy Azalea - a video that subsequently became public.

"I am sick," Russell told The Vertical's Adrian Wojnarowski on Wednesday. "I am sorry about recording the video. I can't repeat myself enough on that: I am sorry I recorded that video. I feel horrible. I wish this never happened."

Russell couldn't explain how the video had gone from being in his personal possession to part of the public domain, but insisted there was no ill intent on his part.

"Me and Nick, that's our friendship: We play around a lot," he said. "Anyone who knows him and knows me, they know that about us. But I apologize for recording that video. I never intentionally wanted to hurt anyone. ...

"The thing is, we record ourselves doing dumb stuff all the time. On the road or home, wherever. We go back and watch what we did and said and laugh at ourselves. I guess I just never thought that these pranks we pull on ourselves could have bigger consequences. That was a big lesson I learned."

Amid reports that he's being alienated by the rest of the Lakers for breaching their collective trust, Russell is doing his best to mend fences. He said he apologized personally to Young, but couldn't say whether the apology had been accepted.

"He heard me out," Russell said.

Young, for his part, certainly didn't seem to be in a forgiving mood when he sent out a hastily deleted tweet.

"I don't want to get into my personal life right now," Young later told reporters. "I think it's best me and D'Angelo handle the situation we have in a private matter, outside the media. I think it's something we do need to sit down and talk about."