D'Angelo Russell in awe of his 2-year-old-son’s impressive ball handling skills
LA Lakers star D'Angelo Russell was recently left in awe by his two-year-old son who showed off his ballhandling skills. In a video posted on Russell's Instagram story, his son can be seen bouncing a ball and doing a full 360 spin while he proudly watched.
In the clip, D'Angelo Russell can be heard saying:
"That's crazy bro, like that's like real deal crazy right there."
Riley Russell will turn two years old on Sep. 24 with the one-time NBA All-Star set to welcome a second child with his longtime girlfriend Laura Ivaniukas later this year. They made the announcement in March.
NBA fans have spotted Ivaniukas and Riley attending Lakers games in the past. From the looks of the Lakers guard's latest Instagram story, it appears like watching him compete in the NBA has rubbed off on Riley.
Given that D'Angelo Russell's dad Antonio also played high school and college basketball, Riley Russell could be a third-generation hooper if he decides to follow his dad's footsteps.
Looking at the NBA season ahead for D'Angelo Russell after opting in to final year of contract
Toward the end of last season, it appeared as though D'Angelo Russell and the LA Lakers were about to part ways. While Russell has spent more than a year in LA in his second stint with the Lakers and signed an extension with the franchise, reports indicated that he was likely to turn down his player option and hit free agency.
His decision came after general manager Rob Pelinka said before the start of the 2023-24 campaign that retaining young players like D'Angelo Russell was high on the team's priority list.
In a post on X by ESPN's Dave McMenamin in June, one of the biggest deciding factors in his decision to opt in was the hiring of JJ Redick. After the team made it to the Western Conference finals in Darvin Ham's first year, the Lakers were eliminated in the first round last season.
"I love what JJ is about and I really see myself thriving under his guidance to help win at a high level," Russell said.
The Lakers front office has since parted ways with Ham before ultimately hiring JJ Redick. With Redick at the helm and high hopes for the season ahead, only time will tell how the 2024-25 season plays out for the team.