D’Angelo Russell Signing With Chinese Team Draws Epic Reactions – “Bro’s Career Path is Just a Nat Geo Documentary”

The Memphis Grizzlies waived guard D'Angelo Russell a week ago after trading for him early in the offseason.

D’Angelo Russell Signing With Chinese Team Draws Epic Reactions – “Bro’s Career Path is Just a Nat Geo Documentary”

D'Angelo Russell is headed to China (Image via Andrea Calzoni/X)

The average tenure of a professional basketball player in the NBA is around five years. D’Angelo Russell has been for more than twice that ever since the Los Angeles Lakers selected him second-overall in the 2015 draft.

After two years in California, he was part of the trade that brought Anthony Davis to the Lakers. In his second season with the Brooklyn Nets, the Ohio State alum cemented his status as a young star on the rise.

That was enough to land him on the Golden State Warriors, where he filled in for the injured Stephen Curry and produced his best scoring average to date.

Yet, the franchise traded him to the Minnesota Timberwolves, where he could play alongside close friend Karl-Anthony Towns. That experiment lasted three years, and he was back with the Lakers.

A chance to play alongside LeBron James should have been the best situation for Russell. But time and again, coaches and fans were disappointed, and he was on the move again.

After a couple of stops at Brooklyn and the Dallas Mavericks, he was traded twice: first to the Washington Wizards, and then to the Memphis Grizzlies. However, the latter waived him just this past week.

Since then, D’Angelo Russell has been searching for options, but understood that there were few and few. Eventually, it was revealed that the 30-year-old has signed with a Chinese team, the Shanghai Sharks.

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Fans have varied reactions to D’Angelo Russell news

While fans have been trolling D’Angelo Russell with suggestions to learn Chinese, hinting that his NBA career was going downhill, they were not prepared for it to become a reality this early.

Usually, low draft picks that did not have many opportunities, or those who struggled with injuries, are the type of NBA players who head overseas. Not a second-overall pick who was the second or third option most of his career.

Hearing this news, fans had all sorts of reactions. Some were hilarious; some mocked the veteran guard. Others questioned why he did not stay in the NBA for a lesser deal. Check out examples of those reactions below.

D’Angelo Russell has been to China a few times, most recently when he was promoting his shoe. Now, it seems he can do it directly with the fanbase by playing in front of them.

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Former NBA players defend D’Angelo Russell playing in China

D’Angelo Russell is not the only former high draft pick to play in China. The likes of Dwight Howard and DeMarcus Cousins also took to the country or even their neighbor Taiwan after opportunities in the NBA dried up.

D'Angelo Russell last played for the Mavs
D’Angelo Russell last played for the Mavs (Image via Hersey NBA/X)

Even though the pay might be less than what they earned in America, it is still better than what players get in Europe or any other league. Two former players pointed out that the criticism Russell faced for signing with a Chinese team is not valid.

Quinn Cook and Tracy McGrady's comments
Quinn Cook and Tracy McGrady’s comments (Image via SS/Threads)

This was Quinn Cook, who also played alongside Stephen Curry and LeBron James, and a certain Hall of Famer, Tracy McGrady, making it clear that playing in China does bring in considerable money. It might not be to NBA standards, but it is good enough for the 2019 All-Star to make the switch.

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