“It can get nasty”: D'Angelo Russell opens up about remaining unfazed against online trolling during trade rumors
D’Angelo Russell was in constant trade rumors since re-signing with the LA Lakers last summer. He survived the trade deadline. He and the rest of the Lakers young core remained in LA as they now push for another NBA title. Russell spoke on his podcast “The Backyard Podcast” about his experience with trade rumors this season.
Russell was happy to remain with the Lakers. He spoke about the relief felt after the deadline passed:
“We survived, it’s good though. It’s just a good weight off the shoulder for me. It’s cool to be here and reset and attack the second half of the season with some momentum."
The relief also came from some of the hate Russell received. The online trolls were going after Russell, either shipping him off to other teams or criticizing his play and role with the Lakers. He said:
“I am glad you all seen that, cause it can get nasty. Dudes can get ate up in that too. That space can tear their mind up a little bit. For you all to hold it down, be strong. I was not panicking so for you all to not to panic, man. I appreciate that too."
Russell was able to maintain peace of mind to keep up his play on the court even though he was not sure if it would be his last in a Laker uniform. Russell has plenty of experience being traded.
He has been moved four times. He was traded from the Lakers to the Brooklyn Nets in 2017. He was later moved to the Golden State Warriors in 2019 only to be moved to the Minnesota Timberwolves during the season for Andrew Wiggins. He then was moved back to the Lakers during the 2022-23 season.
D’Angelo Russell season stats
D’Angelo Russell has benn a key player in the Lakers rotation. He has a tradeable contract and was rumored to be a trade piece for LA. However, the front office stayed pat and kept the young point guard.
Russell has started 51 of the 58 games he has played in this season. He has missed just five games this season.
He is averaging 17.8 points per game, which is third on the team behind LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He is above Austin Reaves (15.7 ppg) who many thought would be more important to the Lakers this season than Russell. He is second on the team in assists with 6.2 apg.
Russell has led the team in scoring 12 times this season. That includes a season-high performance of 39 points in a 132-125 loss at the Utah Jazz on Jan. 13.
He is shooting 46.7/41.6/80.1 this season. He is taking 6.6 attempts from downtown this season and is contributing a bit more defensively despite his limitations with 0.9 steals per game.