D'Angelo Russell Comments on 'Spoiled' Lakers Fans, Kobe Bryant and More
D’Angelo Russell hasn't so much as played an NBA game, but the young rookie is already learning important lessons about how anything he says publicly can take on a life of its own.
Two weeks after he proclaimed in a since-deleted tweet that Tracy McGrady was the greatest player of all time—causing a wave of discontent among Los Angeles Lakers fans and Kobe Bryant supporters—Russell offered more context for his comments while sneaking in a jab at the fans who derided him for his remarks.
“There’s a lot of spoiled Lakers fans. I wasn’t downgrading Kobe at all,” he said, via Mark Medina of the Los Angeles Daily News. “I was just watching a highlight tape of Tracy McGrady and I got excited. I tweeted and the whole state of California went crazy.”
For some, Russell's comments about McGrady may have suggested a lack of historical perspective. After all, Lakers legends such as Magic Johnson, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Walt Chamberlain certainly have more of a claim to "greatest of all time" status than McGrady, let alone players such as Michael Jordan and Larry Bird.
But to his credit, he already called Bryant "my Michael Jordan" in an interview with SiriusXM NBA Radio's NBA Today with Justin Termine and Noah Coslov:
And he also showed maturity when talking about seeking out Bryant and Steve Nash as mentors.
“I’m trying to figure out their mentality with each practice and each game," he said, per Medina. "How do they manage to be around the game for so long and be successful? I want to learn how to stick around this league. I don’t think there’s a cheat code to it. But the sooner you find it out, the better you’ll be.”
Russell certainly didn't find it during the summer league. The No. 2 overall pick struggled, averaging 11.8 points on 37.7 percent shooting while racking up 3.5 turnovers per game to just 3.2 assists.
But Russell is moving forward, not back.
“A lot of guys translate it over when it’s time, and a lot of guys don’t,” Russell noted. “I just want to be one of those guys that bring it when it matters.”
He'll be expected to bring it when it matters. The Lakers surprised some folks by drafting Russell over center Jahlil Okafor, and the team didn't dramatically improve via free agency this offseason, so the rookie guard will be expected to contribute in a big way immediately while learning how to facilitate for and play with Bryant.
There will be a learning curve. Russell has already taken one lesson to heart, however: Anything he says as a member of the Lakers will now be thoroughly dissected, for better or worse.
