Warriors’ Russell recalls Bryant’s keen knowledge
BOSTON — D’Angelo Russell arrived at 11 a.m. Lakers practices his rookie season by 10:55. By the time head coach Byron Scott summoned players to midcourt for drills, Russell often still had his jersey untucked.
This irked Kobe Bryant, who had little patience for unprofessionalism. As Bryant navigated mounting losses during his 20th and final NBA season, he peppered Russell, the No. 2 pick in the draft, with pointers in hopes that Russell could help lead the Lakers back to contention after Bryant retired.
This week, as Russell processed news that Bryant died in a helicopter crash Sunday at 41, he reflected on the advice Bryant gave him during their six months together. Russell might not have realized it at the time, but the information Bryant provided about taking care of one’s self, exploiting defenses and pursuing greatness would help Russell build a blueprint he uses today.
Nearly four years removed from watching
Bryant score 60 points in his final game, Russell is an AllStar point guard with a fouryear, $117 million contract. Once derided for his immaturity, he has blossomed into a lockerroom leader with the Warriors, arriving at practices a lot more than five minutes before they start and passing along some of the wisdom he picked up from Bryant.
“It was so many different jewels that he dropped on me that I didn’t really understand,” said Russell, who is averaging career highs in points (24) and 3pointers (3.7). “You think back on it, and you’re like, ‘Damn, I remember he said that.’ Every day, I just find myself reminiscing about the jewels that he dropped on me.”
Russell was 3 months old when Bryant was drafted. By the time Russell started to take basketball seriously in middle school, Bryant had long emerged as Michael Jordan’s heir apparent. Like many kids his age, Russell stayed up late to study Bryant’s highlights on YouTube, awaking to mimic Bryant’s fadeaway jumper in his driveway.
When Russell was drafted by the Lakers in June 2015, he was ecstatic to share a roster with his childhood idol. Five months later, Bryant announced his plans to retire at the end of the season, turning the team’s final 67 games into a farewell tour.
Instead of working through mistakes in relative anonymity on a lotterybound team, Russell was thrust into one of the biggest media frenzies in NBA history. It didn’t help that Scott, an oldschool coach brought in largely for his close relationship with Bryant, seized almost any chance to publicly criticize Russell.
The rookie’s childish antics, which reportedly included untying teammates’ shoes at practice and avoiding Scott on his way back to the bench during games, played out through the press. Though Bryant got annoyed at times with Russell, he recognized the rookie’s potential.
During team flights, Bryant reviewed video with him, pointing out how Russell could take better angles on drives to the rim or capitalize on mismatches. Bryant encouraged Russell to spend his downtime finding what most interests him away from the court.
Russell appreciated the handson interest Bryant had taken in him, but didn’t always absorb his mentor’s wisdom. As a 19yearold new to the NBA lifestyle, Russell tended to zone out during their conversations, his mind busy trying to reconcile how he was talking to a global phenom.
“It was just weird,” Russell said. “Being right next to him, you felt like, if you touched him or went to shake his hand, your hand would go through him. It was almost like he wasn’t a real person.”
Russell was feet away as Bryant addressed the Staples Center crowd after his historic final game. When Bryant said, “Mamba out,” blew a kiss to his fans and set down the microphone, Russell thought about the two decades of focus and dedication that had allowed Bryant to leave the game with a smile.
As Russell bounced between three teams in the past three seasons, he tried to model aspects of Bryant’s approach. His goal is to also retire someday without having to wonder whether he could have given more.
“One thing he got from Kobe was just the importance of being professional, of taking care of your body, of sticking to a routine,” said Warriors playerdevelopment coach Theo Robertson, who works closely with Russell. “That’s something he’s really big on even now, just being in the weight room, getting treatment. Like Kobe, he has intention behind everything he does.”
A day after Bryant, his 13yearold daughter, Gianna, and seven others died in a helicopter accident, Russell posted 10 pictures of him and Bryant to Instagram. “Watched you closer than ever man, learned more than I could in such a short time, asked you more questions than ever,” the caption read. “True Role Model.
“I find myself hearing every bit of advice you ever gave me.”