Attempt to Shut D’Angelo Russell Pushes 44YO NBA Veteran to Drop the Ultimate Stats

Apr 10, 2024 | 12:06 AM EDT

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Friendly banter between athletes is something fans often enjoy. It not only projects a more human side of them but also leads to lesser-known revelations. A similar instance has been the exchange of posts between D’Angelo Russel and ex-Los Angeles Lakers star Metta World Peace.

“D LO, how many games did you win? How many did I win ? lol . It’s either even or you up 1…” Metta posted on X. It all started with the 44-year-old asking for podcast suggestions in one of his posts. He also took suggestions regarding who he should interview next.

D LO, how many games did you win? How many did I win ? lol . It’s either even or you up 1 🙂 😂 https://t.co/bryRbsP9vt
— Metta World Peace (@MettaWorld37) April 9, 2024

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“Tell em how I use to beat you 1v1 after practice, before your venice beach league games,” D’Angelo Russel replied to Metta’s post. However, it’s not as if the two players have a beef or something with each other. What it seems to be is banter between two former teammates. In fact, Metta had praised D’Lo back in 2021 for the 1v1 games they played with each other.

“I played D’Angelo Russell 1 on 1 a lot. Talented kid. You can tell as he was 19, his body was like a baby body. He was knock-kneed. But you can tell he was a killer. This kid is tough and just so confident. He’s gonna be a champion,” Metta had stated.

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Metta World Peace vs D’Angelo Russel: A closer look

Metta was the Lakers’ small forward while Russel played as the team’s point guard. So the comparison may seem unfair in ways. If it has to be done, D’Lo has a clear edge in terms of average points so far. While the ex-NBA star averaged 13.2 points per game, the Lakers’ point guard has averaged 17.8 points per game so far.

However, Metta had better well-rounded abilities in comparison with higher rebounds, steals, and blocks per game. In terms of accolades as well, the 44-year-old takes a lead over Russel. Metta is a 2010 NBA champion, 2004 NBA Defensive Player of the Year, and has made 2 appearances each in the NBA All-Defensive First Team and NBA All-Defensive Second Team, respectively. D’Lo is way behind Metta in terms of accolades in the NBA.

However, it is important to highlight this again that it’s not as if Russel saw Metta as a competition. If anything, the 28-year-old has described Metta as a guiding force during their common time on the team. “He didn’t treat me like a young player. He treated me like that’s an excuse, being a young guy is an excuse, you can definitely attack it by being the best you can be at that age or the best you can be being a first-year player and stuff like that. So it was a different angle that I wanted to attack my first year and he helped me with it,” Russel stated, as per an article by the Los Angeles Times.

What is your opinion of the banter between the two players on X? Who is your pick for the better player between the two? Let us know your answers in the comments.