D’Angelo Russell Makes Lakers Move During NBA Playoffs

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Ayomide Adeduyite | Last updated Apr 19, 2026 7:50 AM ET

The world watched the Los Angeles Lakers open their first-round playoff series against the Houston Rockets on Saturday night at Crypto.com Arena. Los Angeles played without Luka Doncic and Austin Reaves, while Houston’s Kevin Durant was ruled out with a knee injury before tip-off.

The Lakers secured a 107-98 victory in Game 1. Luke Kennard led the way with a playoff career-high 27 points, converting all five of his three-point attempts. LeBron James added 19 points and 13 assists, and the team also relied on Rui Hachimura (14 points), Deandre Ayton (19 points) and Marcus Smart (15 points) to take a 1-0 series lead.

Former Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell (1).Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Among those who followed the game was D’Angelo Russell. The former Lakers guard shared a video of himself watching on his Instagram stories on Saturday, with the caption: “Tuned.”

Although he is no longer on the roster, Russell’s connection to the franchise remains evident, and his quiet show of support resonated with Lakers fans, who watched him develop into an All-Star.

D’Angelo Russell watching Game 1 pic.twitter.com/lV55RPluY6
— Lakers Lead (@LakersLead) April 19, 2026

The Lakers selected him second overall in the 2015 NBA Draft before trading him to the Brooklyn Nets after two seasons. He returned to the franchise in 2022 and was dealt back to Brooklyn midway through the 2024-25 season.

His most notable run with the team came in 2023, when he helped Los Angeles reach the Western Conference Finals. Russell last played for the Dallas Mavericks before being traded to the Washington Wizards in February.

Los Angeles returns to action on Tuesday and will hope to strengthen its advantage before the series shifts to Houston on Friday.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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