D’Angelo Russell is one of the few players who got a chance to play with Kobe Bryant and LeBron James. Russell started his career with the LA Lakers when Bryant was on his way out of the NBA. Now, he’s a part of the Lakers organization once again as he helps James contend for another title.
Russell is in his second stint with the Lakers this season. He was traded midway through last season from the Minnesota Timberwolves, as the California-based team wanted to move on from Russell Westbrook. This season, he’s suited up for 61 games, averaging 18 points, 3.0 rebounds and 6.2 assists.
At the start of his career, the Lakers were honoring Bryant by giving him a season-long farewell tour. Russell was still able to get a few lessons from the “Black Mamba”.
Both Bryant and James were often compared to each other when they were both in the league, but they had different approaches to the game. Russell experienced both and he recently shared what he encountered:
“I got to play with Kobe,” Russell said. “It was really cool… I got Kobe on his way out so I seen ‘happy-go-lucky, smiley.’ Everybody was just like, ‘The Kobe you got, you lucky. Cause that is not Kobe.’
“Bron’s like a grown-a** kid. Good time all the time.”
While Bryant took the game seriously and was always focused on the job, James, on the other hand, wanted to keep the locker room with a positive atmosphere.
Although different, both were effective as the “Black Mamba” and “King James” have both won titles in their own right.
D’Angelo Russell’s inspiration isn’t Kobe Bryant or LeBron James
The 2023-24 season has been a wild ride for D’Angelo Russell. Since the start of the season, he’s continued to compete well and help the Lakers position themselves for the playoffs. Seeing as how he’s played with two legends of the game, many would expect Russell to choose between James and Bryant as his inspiration.
However, he mentioned that 2008 champion Rajon Rondo is the inspiration for him to stay competitive:
“I seen him compete against LeBron in those playoff match-ups, and I seen that, bro,” Russell said.
Russell shared that Rondo is one of the players he saw with extreme competitiveness. Furthermore, the Lakers guard talked about playing against the former NBA star. During their matchups, “DLo” was outmatched, but he added it helped him become a competitive athlete in the process.
