D’Angelo Russell is taking his talents to China.
News broke on Wednesday that the 30-year-old former Los Angeles Lakers guard signed a deal with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association. This comes after he was released by the Memphis Grizzlies earlier in September.
The Lakers selected Russell with the No. 2 overall pick of the 2015 NBA Draft. He never quite lived up to the hype in Los Angeles in his first two seasons, flashing occasional glimpses of greatness that never translated to consistent production.
Russell was then traded to the Brooklyn Nets before the 2017-18 season and went on to find some success over the next several seasons with Brooklyn, the Golden State Warriors, and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The Lakers brought Russell back to Los Angeles as part of a massive three-team blockbuster trade in February 2023, which involved former lakers guard Russell Westbrook being traded to the Utah Jazz.
The former Ohio State standout fared better in this second tenure in Los Angeles, including scoring 18 points per game in the 2023-24 season.
Russell’s most infamous moment came off the court, though. In 2016, he secretly recorded his Lakers teammate, Nick Young, essentially admitting to cheating on his then-girlfriend Izzy Agalea. This caused a severe breach of trust that Russell never recovered from.
Him going to China might mean Russell’s NBA days are over.
