D’Angelo Russell has some pretty big shoes to fill in Los Angeles. As the No. 2 pick in last summer’s NBA Draft, Russell and the rest of his young compatriots are expected to get the Lakers back into contention in the next few years. After a whirlwind rookie campaign that included a cell phone fiasco with teammate Nick Young and a season-long retirement tour for Kobe Bryant, Russell is probably eager to put all that behind him and start moving forward.
That doesn’t mean he can’t pay homage to his former teammate, which is just what he did when showed off this spectacular, Wilt Chamberlain-inspired T-shirt that is a tribute to Kobe’s 81-point extravaganza, the second-highest scoring game in NBA history behind only The Big Dipper’s.
Russell debuted the shirt at the Power 106 Celebrity All-Star Game in L.A. this weekend, although he didn’t actually participate in the exhibition. Several of his current teammates were there as well, including Jordan Clarkson, Tarik Black, and Brandon Ingram. The game also featured legendary streetballer Bone Collector, who absolutely humiliated rapper Mac Miller with an array of moves. Apparently, people will never learn that they should just stop trying to guard guys like Bone Collector. Thankfully for Russell’s sake, he was wise enough to sit this one out.
