Gilbert Arenas' Ex -- D'Angelo Russell Is Screwed ... 'Broke the Bro Code' (VIDEO)

Former "Basketball Wives" star Laura Govan knows how NBA locker rooms work -- she was with Gilbert Arenas for years -- and tells TMZ Sports D'Angelo Russell may NEVER be able to recover from the Nick Young video scandal.

"There's a lot of shade in the NBA," Govan says, "These n**gas are f*cked up. I know first hand."

Check out the clip ... Govan says there's a STRONG bond between teammates at the NBA level, and if you violate that trust, "it's hard to recover from that."

Sidenote -- Govan says she's back on speaking terms with Arenas ... which is HUUUGE considering they've been at WAR with each other ever since they broke up last year.