“I Remember Crying”: Oblivious LeBron James Left D’Angelo Russel Emotional as a Kid

The Los Angeles Lakers recently faced off against the Washington Wizards. Expectations were high after yesterday’s game when LeBron James helped to close a 21-point deficit against the Clippers and secure the win for themselves. Fans were not wrong in entrusting their faith in the LA team, as they ended up winning the game with a score of 134-131. LeBron and Anthony Davis led the charge, with the former adding 31 points and the latter 40 points to the overall score.

During the post-game press conference, Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell sat down to answer some questions from the media. The 28-year-old used the opportunity to praise LeBron and recall how he was the one who inspired him to take a basketball ball into his hand and use it to make something of himself in this life. Russell recalled catching a glimpse of his basketball idol when his father took him to his very first NBA game, featuring the Indiana Pacers and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Seeing LeBron in his element was too overwhelming for the future player, who started to get a little emotional.

“I was a big LeBron fan. He did that signature dunk, and I remember crying” said Russell during the interview. “That is when I was like ‘this is where I want to be’. He’s inspired me without even knowing it.”

Russell stated his belief that King James is continuing to inspire today’s youth and that he still has a lot to offer to the ever-changing NBA world. “I’m not surprised by anything he is doing, I won’t be surprised with anything he is continuing to do and the sky is really the limit for him and what he has really done for this game” Russell stated.

As trade rumors ran rampant, LeBron James expressed confidence in D’Angelo Russell

LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell have been teammates for barely a year. Even then, however, the two have successfully managed to form a partnership on the grounds of mutual respect and appreciation. The 39-year-old has often taken his junior under the wing and given some important advice during crucial moments. The existence of such a mentor-mentee relationship is probably the reason why LeBron knows that his prodigy isn’t going anywhere.

Russell has continued to maintain his average of 17.7 points, 2.9 rebounds, and 6.4 assists during the ongoing season. Despite this, however, there have been rumors running rampant that the Lakers may trade the player to the Atlanta Hawks after the season’s conclusion.

LeBron James, supposedly pays no attention to such news. In fact, he recently took to Instagram to share a story with his followers. Highlighting a social media post about Russell, LeBron proceeded to write a caption alongside the same that read “The boy 9Lo been in his (two bag emojis)!!!! Keep loading bro @dloading”. The fact that the team’s best player would publicly appreciate Russell’s efforts amid trade rumors may or may not be a sign that LeBron would be against the idea of the point guard leaving.

What are your thoughts on LeBron James and D’Angelo Russell’s on-court relationship? Let us know in the comments down below.

READ MORE: “I Was So Depressed”: Fallen NFL Icon Discloses How LeBron James Gave Him a Fighting Chance