D'Angelo Russell of the
Los Angeles Lakers is one of the lucky few players to have been on a team with both
Kobe Bryant and
LeBron James. He started his career alongside Bryant and now, years later, he is back with the Lakers as LeBron leads them.
He spoke with HoopsHype about his luck in performing with both stars, their differences, and how he had to grow into the knowledge that Bryant gave him.
"I played with Kobe on his way out, and I’m playing with LeBron, who I still think is at the tip of his prime. Not his prime, but you get better the older you get in some cases. I feel like he’s still getting better in the sense of having to do more with less athleticism, obviously. It shows every aspect of his game, his shooting and post game," Russell said.
He then opened up about the wisdom that Bryant gave. "The language he spoke was foreign to me at that time. I couldn’t relate to a lot of stuff that he was saying, but he would always talk to me about it as if I knew."
However, Russell revealed that the lessons Kobe taught him made more sense as he got older. "The older I got, the stuff would click, and I’d say, “Dang, I remember him saying that.”
Russell said that he has been seeking the same sort of knowledge from LeBron all these years later. "Growing up a fan of LeBron, I was always searching for wisdom from him, asking him questions and trying to pick his brain on how I could be better. That's how I was with Kobe."
Perhaps it's his time with both Bryant and James that has led to such a productive season for Russell. He is having perhaps his best season yet, scoring 18.2 points, 3 rebounds, and 6.4 assists per game. Beyond the numbers, he has been more of a team leader and a better facilitator too. In just about every measure, Russell has become a better player and a more important part of the Lakers, which means he is making James proud and would make Bryant proud too.
