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Stephen Jackson takes issue with D'Angelo Russell's video game Luke Walton fandom

D'Angelo Russell takes note of Luke Walton. (Getty Images)
D’Angelo Russell takes note of Luke Walton. (Getty Images)

The whole point of playing sports-related video games is to put yourself in the action. To strap yourself into a car pushing 200 mph, to stare down a Roger Clemens fastball with a comically ill-shapen bat, or to peer over an offensive line hell-bent on making sure you find the open receiver tagged with the ‘Y’ button.

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You get to be who you want to be, be you a superstar or also-ran. Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell, in playing one video game franchise during the 20-year old’s youth, apparently dug running with the also-rans; most notably new Lakers coach and former Laker small forward Luke Walton. From a talk with Kevin Ding at Bleacher Report:

“I told him I remember playing with him on (NBA) 2K; I used to always play as him. I’m a fan. I’m definitely a fan. Because he was a point forward.

“[In] my era, I know he was a point forward.”

Former NBA swingman, who Stephen Jackson, who matched up with Mr. Walton plenty of times during their playing careers, took a little exception (via Reddit) to the gushing:

Hey, to each his own.

Some people liked playing with the Indianapolis Colts in Tecmo Bowl. I spent sophomore year of high school impressing all the ladies with my brilliant all-around work playing as Ron Harper on NBA Live ’96. If D’Angelo Russell wanted to turn Luke Walton into a lob-making, space creating point forward-ly beast playing alongside Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Andrew Bynum and Lamar Odom during his junior high days, that’s his choice.

(And, after a year spent uneasily watching Kobe fire his way into retirement, this was solid in-the-living-room training.)

Stephen Jackson is correct, though. There is no way in hell Luke Walton picked himself in NBA 2K.

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Kelly Dwyer is an editor for Ball Don’t Lie on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at KDonhoops@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!