Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell On LeBron James: ‘He’s A Complete Role Model All Around’

Russell, who grew up a LeBron fan, said his childhood idol is “a complete role model all around.”

“When it comes to the basketball side of things, it’s an adjustment,” Russell said. “You’ve got to learn how to play next to one of the greatest of all time. As far as what I’ve learned, we really spend so much time on the bus, plane, in traffic, and those small little windows where there’s nothing else going on when I feel like I benefit the most from him. I get to hear about how he did what he was thinking and his approach. It’s almost like you go through your daily routine and ask, ‘What would LeBron do?’ You know he’s going to take the high road and do the best that you can do with whatever he’s doing.

“He’s a complete role model all around. When you have your stuff in order off the floor, it allows you to have this attack mode and mentality on the floor, knowing that everything else is taken care of.”

The Lakers, who drafted Russell with the second overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, re-acquired the lefty last season from the Minnesota Timberwolves. Russell has been a terrific fit next to LeBron and Anthony Davis since he’s a talented shooter and passer. 

“When I was here earlier, we weren’t winning games,” Russell said. “Now I’m here playing with LeBron, and we’re trying to win games. That’s a completely different thing on its own.”

The Lakers are in ninth place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 41-32.

LeBron is averaging 25.3 points, 7.3 rebounds and 8.1 assists on the season, while Russell is averaging 18.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 6.4 assists.