Lakers: 'Different interpretations' of Sun. incident
LOS ANGELES — Lakers team spokesman John Black said in a statement Tuesday that there are “different interpretations” of what occurred Sunday night in Hollywood, where a woman alleged that she and her mother were harassed by L.A. guards Nick Young and Jordan Clarkson.
The woman who made the allegation is Alexis Jones, an activist trying to stop athletes from committing sexual harassment, sexual abuse and domestic violence.
Jones told ESPN in an interview Monday that at about 7:30 p.m. Sunday she and her 68-year-old mother stopped their vehicle at a Hollywood intersection, where a Jeep with four men pulled up alongside them.
According to Jones, the men inside the Jeep began making “vulgar, sexual” gestures toward her mother. Jones took pictures of the men with her phone and posted them to Instagram, where commenters identified them as Young and Clarkson.
“We’ve looked into the situation and spoken to Alexis Jones as well as to Nick Young and Jordan Clarkson,” Black said in the statement released Tuesday. “Based on these conversations, our conclusion is that there are different interpretations of what happened.
“We support Nick and Jordan and believe what they told us about the incidents and their actions. We also are supportive of Alexis and her feelings about what happened, about women’s rights, and of the fine work Alexis is doing with her organization.
“I had several conversations with Alexis and her publicist, and tried to arrange a meeting between her, Nick and Jordan. Unfortunately, Alexis’s schedule didn’t allow for this to happen yesterday. We will also continue to stay in touch with her about the possibility of addressing our team about the important issues with which she’s involved.”
Young and Clarkson are expected to play Tuesday night against the Memphis Grizzlies.
