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A TEAM REPRESENTATIVE HAD TO AWKWARDLY STEP IN AS D'ANGELO RUSSELL ATTEMPTED TO PROMOTE HIS OWN BRAND DURING AN NBA PRESS CONFERENCE AFTER THE LAKERS ELIMINATED THE GOLDEN STATE
WARRIORS 23:05, 15 May 2023Updated 23:06, 15 May 2023 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. READ MORE: Kevin Hart responds
after being called out by Jayson Tatum in post-game interviewREAD MORE: James Harden question unanswered as Doc Rivers makes decision on Philadelphia 76ers future 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. 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. Article continues below 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. READ MORE: James Harden told to "shave his beard" and "hide"
after horrific Boston Celtics meltdownREAD MORE: Ben Simmons sends subtle jab to former team as Philadelphia 76ers eliminated from playoffsREAD MORE: Golden State Warriors could suffer huge
loss amid potential rebuild after NBA playoff exitREAD MORE: Draymond Green makes Golden State Warriors vow amid uncertain future with franchiseREAD MORE: Ja Morant suspended after video
emerges of Memphis Grizzlies star flashing what appears to be an alleged gun