Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell tries to get laughs out of the Nick Young incident in Foot Locker ad

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Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell and former LSU star Ben Simmons could be teammates in a couple of days. But the two have already starred in a commercial together.

A Foot Locker spot, which will be aired after Simmons is picked in Thursday’s NBA draft, was posted Tuesday on YouTube. It features Russell, who was drafted No. 2 overall by the Lakers last year, and Simmons, one of two players likely to be taken at No. 2 overall by the Lakers this year.

Minnesota’s Karl-Anthony Towns, last year’s No. 1 overall pick, and Phoenix’s Devin Booker, drafted No. 13 overall in 2015, also appear in the commercial.

But Russell’s the one who gets the laughs – at his own expense.

After getting some tips from Towns and Booker on life as an NBA rookie, Simmons asks Russell if there’s anything else he should know.

“Got a phone?” Russell asks.

Simmons hands over his device, which Russell promptly throws out the window and into the ocean.

“Trust me,” Russell tells a befuddled Simmons as the commercial ends.

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It is funny – and, boy, is it ever true. Russell’s rookie season would have been a lot more pleasant if he didn’t have a smartphone. That way he wouldn’t have been able to secretly record a conversation in which Lakers teammate Nick Young, then engaged to rapper Iggy Azalea, talked about meeting up with a 19-year-old woman last summer after clubbing.

That video, which Russell said was meant to remain private, ended up going public in March, causing plenty of headaches for both men. While Young and Azalea tried to work out their issues, Russell was widely criticized for breaking a so-called locker room code and possibly creating trust issues among his teammates.

Russell publicly apologized to Young during a news conference and said, “If I’ve lost anybody’s trust, I’m going to work my tail off to gain it back because that’s something you need for a winning team.”

Azalea may have referenced the video incident Sunday while announcing her breakup with Young on Instagram: “Unfortunately although I love Nick and have tried and tried to rebuild my trust in him -- It’s become apparent in the last few weeks I am unable to.”

Chances are, she and Young may not find Russell’s Foot Locker spot all that amusing.

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