Josh Hart, Brandon Ingram, and Lonzo Ball were all traded to the New Orleans Pelicans this offseason in exchange for Anthony Davis. Of course, AD went to the Los Angeles Lakers, ending a contentious period in Lakers history. It was clear for a while that the Lakers wanted to get rid of Ball and Hart so it's no surprise they wouldn't have the best memories of the franchise.
In a recent podcast, Hart and Ball were speaking about their time in Los Angeles, with the former making some curious comments. Many took the remarks as Hart throwing shade at the team which is something he was immediately sensitive to. During an interview with ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne, Hart explained what he did following the podcast and how he had to reach out to members of the franchise to apologize.
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“When my sarcasm, that wasn’t supposed to be in that — it was supposed to be cut — was in there, I called some of the people in the [Lakers] front office, I called some of my teammates that I had and made sure they knew that none of this stuff was about you guys,” Hart said. “I loved my time here. I loved my time here and I wouldn’t have changed it for the world. I love Laker Nation. They show so much love, so much support.”
It's clear Hart still has love for many of his ex-teammates and wants to be sure they didn't take anything he said the wrong way. On Wednesday night, he will have his first opportunity at playing against his former team.
