15 May 2023 , 22:05
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Los Angeles Lakers point guard D'Angelo Russell had his own branded sports drink taken away from him while attempting to promote it.
The awkward incident saw Russell sit down with the media during a press conference after their win over the Golden State Warriors to see them advance to the Western Conference finals.
The 27-year-old star attempted to put down his Coco5 bottle in front of him, but a team representative was on-hand to take it away and out of the camera shot.
It's the second time that Russell has been caught out, having attempted to put the drink in front of him after a play-off game in April.
Russell, along with Devin Booker, Derrick Rose, and Marcus Morris are all brand partners with the energy drink, however they are not allowed to promote it as it is not a partner of the NBA or the Lakers.
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In the April incident, Russell snuck the drink onto the podium with the Lakers representative asking him to remove it. He responded: "You gonna have to fine me. You gon' have to take it," before the rep, Ta'Nisha Cooper, did just that.
The only sports drink allowed on the podium during NBA press conferences is Gatorade, who have been league partners with the NBA since Michael Jordan 's rookie season in 1984.
While Russell might have annoyed the Lakers off-the-court, on it he has been a revelation since being traded for in February.
Russell has emerged as their third option to score behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis, and played a crucial role in the series win against his former Warriors teammates.
The Lakers will now come up against the Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference finals, where the winner will face either the Boston Celtics or Miami Heat.