Jennifer Cooper, E!Despite coming off one of the worst seasons in Lakers history, guard Nick Young remains upbeat. We recently sat down with Swaggy P in New York City to chat about getting star stuck at games, his ladylove Iggy Azalea and his relationship with his "mentor" and Laker legend Kobe Bryant.
"With Kobe, he has been like a mentor for me this year," Young exclusively tells E! News. "But he is a little different, I mean he is Kobe Bryant, so he has to be different when you're at that point."
The 28-year-old Young has captured quite a bit of attention this season—his off-court style as well as his on-court enthusiasm and playful attitude catch praise from fans and commentators, despite the Lakers' disappointing 27-55 record. Do we sense a changing in the guard when it comes to the Lakers?
"Oh, Kobe will kill me for this one," Nick laughs when asked if he's better than Kobe. "But yeah, I think so. Right now, you know. You can't guard me right now!" Good-natured ribbing and trash talk is nothing new between ball players—The Black Mamba and Swaggy have playfully thrown shade at each other this season.
And Bryant, who has been sidelined since suffering a knee injury in December, extended his contract with the organization for two years. Once the veteran is back to fighting shape, perhaps the two can get in some one-on-one time to see if Nick's playful boasting rings true.
However, Young's future with the team is unclear. "You never know," he reflected when asked if he would return to Los Angeles next season. "I want to—it is my hometown. We shall see. We shall see." Though he's becoming a star in his own right, he does admit to occasionally getting a little star stuck by the the A-listers who sit courtside at the Staples Center. "I mean the first game of the year, we just had Rihanna here, and we had Drake there, and there were a bunch of celebs there and I was like, 'Dang, this is really Hollywood.'"
And speaking of Hollywood celebs, Young's girlfriend Azalea has been making headlines all on her own. Earlier this week, the singer's single "Fancy" reached No. 1, and she recently starred in Revolve's Summer campaign. But what do these two lovebird stars love to do on dates?
"Pretty much anything, we go with the flow," Young revealed. "She is a fun person, and she always wants to do something crazy like go-karting or something."
Start your engines!