"The hate is real why y'all hate me but love me" - Former NBA champion believes he was snubbed from LA Lakers top-75 list

Former NBA champion Nick Young had an impressive stint with the LA Lakers. However, this wasn't considered deserving enough to be on Los Angeles Times' list of the Top 75 greatest Lakers to ever play. This wasn't something that Young agreed with.

Nick Young was with the LA Lakers for a total of four seasons. From 2013-17, Young had become an integral part of the team and earned a lot of favor with the fans in LA.

While "Swaggy P" had become a bit of a fan-favorite, he was with the Lakers during one of the most turbulent periods in franchise history.

With the team being stuck in the middle of rebuilding along with Kobe Bryant's last few years in the NBA, the Lakers weren't a popular franchise to follow. Naturally, this meant that the Lakers didn't win a lot of games.

However, Young was still a fairly bright spark during this dark time in Lakers' history. In this regard, he was still viewed as a key member of the roster.

Unfortunately, these sentiments weren't enough to place Young on the Los Angeles Times list of the 75 greatest Lakers to ever play basketball.

The list had certain requirements which mentioned that a player had to play a minimum of 100 games as a Laker to be considered. As per reports, although Young received a few fan votes, they weren't enough to crack the list.

The former Lakers forward was in disbelief after the list was revealed. Young expressed his frustration at not being named on Twitter. He tweeted:

"The hate is real why y'all hate me but love me."

The hate is real why y’all hate me but love me.. twitter.com/latimessports/…

The list itself featured some obvious names in the mix. With Magic Johnson, Kobe Bryant, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, Jerry West, Elgin Baylor, and Shaquille O'Neal occupying the top spots, the list went on to mention other greats.

"Swaggy P" would find himself way out of his depth when comparing his career as a Laker to some of the other players on the list.

Nick Young did not deserve to be mentioned in the list of 75 greatest LA Lakers

As mentioned earlier, with additional emphasis at this point, Nick Young was a fan-favorite during his time with the LA Lakers. Although the guard was a vital member of the team during his tenure, the Lakers were a rather disappointing squad.

Having missed the playoffs every year during his time with the team, Young barely made an impact. Although he gave crowds and fans several memorable moments, the product on the floor is less than memorable for a majority of Lakers fans.

That being said, Young did look like one of the most consistent players on the LA Lakers' roster. Notching an average of 13.1 points and 2.3 rebounds per game, Young made it evidently clear that he was there to get buckets and buckets alone.

Although he didn't have much success with the Lakers, he would go on to win an NBA title with the Golden State Warriors.

Nick Young played his last season in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets in 2018-19. Following his departure from the NBA, Young now offers his takes on the NBA and the LA Lakers on different podcasts.

Also Read: Former NBA champion gives his 2 cents on Russell Westbrook-LA Lakers situation

He also featured in an exhibition bout with popular American recording artist Blueface.