Nick Young and Rihanna???
It almost happened ... with the NBA star saying he shot his shot at the superstar after she watched him ball out at a Lakers game, but there was one thing holding him back ... Iggy Azalea.
It all went down around 2014, according to Swaggy (who told the story on the "Certified Buckets" podcast) ... saying he was motivated to play outta his mind after he saw RiRi sitting courtside at Staples Center.
"I had a good game, so [the reporters] asked me why .