D’Angelo Russell is clearly not too thrilled with the team that traded him away twice.
The new Dallas Mavericks guard Russell appeared recently on “Time Out with Dwyane Wade.” The conversation took place live at Fanatics Fest in New York, N.Y. last month, but the footage was only released this week.
During the episode, Russell reflected on his basketball journey and got in a swipe at the Los Angeles Lakers while simultaneously praising the Brooklyn Nets. Russell played for both teams earlier in his NBA career.
“Everything about Brooklyn is different,” said Russell. “I’ve been around the league … I came from the Lakers where the structure is not the same, and then I go to Brooklyn where it’s all structure. It taught me how to be a professional.
“I always approached the game to where I just was kinda nonchalant, and I felt like I could just wing it,” Russell added. “When I got to Brooklyn, they taught me how to be a professional.”
Here is the full clip of Russell’s remarks.
D’Angelo Russell opens up about the difference of structure being on the Lakers versus the Nets:
— Wy Network by Dwyane Wade (@wynetwork) August 6, 2025
“I came from the Lakers where the structure is not the same, and then I go to Brooklyn where it’s all structure and it taught me how to be a professional.” pic.twitter.com/tkElY9gh2M
Russell, now 29 years old, was drafted by the Lakers in 2015 before being traded to the Nets in 2017. He then returned to the Lakers via trade in 2023 … before being traded to the Nets again in 2024.
Based on those remarks, it sounds like Russell was referring to his first stint in L.A. (where he battled some well-documented maturity issues). But that is still not the best comment to be making about a former team while trying to talk up another one.
The former All-Star Russell agreed to a surprisingly small contract with the Mavericks in free agency this summer. He will be eyeing a strong 2025-26 season followed by a return to free agency next summer, and you can probably cross the Lakers, whom Russell has gotten in other shots at in recent months, off his 2026 wishlist.
