D'Angelo Russell admitted to being irked by comments from Magic Johnson about his leadership.

When explaining the Los Angeles Lakers' decision to trade away Russell and build around Lonzo Ball, Johnson said the franchise "needed a leader" and someone who "can make the other players better."

Russell had previously downplayed Johnson's comments and declined to respond despite being asked about it repeatedly, including at his introductory news conference in Brooklyn this summer.

"I would say it ruffled a few feathers," Russell said on Friday. "But you control what you can control. He's in a position to say what he wants, so I just try to do what I can do at the end of the day."

Russell has played well to begin his career with the Nets and admitted that there were challenges while playing with the Lakers.

"I went through a lot when I was here," Russell said of his time in L.A. "It's nothing I could really control. It was out of my hands by that point [when he was traded].

"I went through a lot -- Kobe's farewell, everything. ... So just to overcome that, I salute myself for that."