With the second pick of the draft, the Lakers decided to go small and drafted Ohio State point guard D’Angelo Russell. Since the draft, the nineteen year old star signed his first NBA contract and now has debuted in the NBA Summer League. He hasn’t played as well as some might have wanted, but he’s growing and learning with these exhibition games. Playing alongside with Jordan Clarkson and Julius Randle is going to be a lot of fun and that’s not even including the rest of the Lakers roster yet.
Most of the squad is signed with Nike or prefer the Swoosh for their performance on court. Kobe Bryant, Julius Randle, Roy Hibbert, and others are just a few who rock Nike for their games. News broke out yesterday that D’Angelo has come to agreements with Nike Basketball and is now a Nike athlete. Russel tweeted out the following:
This comes to no surprise as Russell has predominantly worn Jordan Brand and Nike Basketball sneakers since his Central High School in Louisville and his college years at Ohio State. He’s often seen in the Kobe signature line with the Kobe 9 at OSU. Recently, he was in the Kobe 10 for practice and the Summer League.
D’Angelo Russell is just beginning his journey with the NBA and who knows if a Russell 1 signature model is down the road. Being in Los Angeles, D’Angelo is going to get a lot of attention and spotlight showcasing him on and off the court. I believe Russell will continue to wear the latest Kobe PE’s and might even bring back older models just like Nick Young this past season. Until then, let’s hope he works well with the rest of the squad and keeps his Mamba Mentality intact.
