Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell is rumored to want to play for the Lithuanian national team at the 2028 Olympics in L.A. If that happens, he could get some advice from former Lakers guard Lonnie Walker IV, who now plays professionally in Lithuania after leaving the NBA this offseason.
Walker and Russell were teammates for the Lakers during the second half of the 2022-23 season after Russell was traded to L.A. at the trade deadline. They played together during the unexpected run to the Western Conference Finals as the No. 7 seed, with both having memorable moments in the postseason.
When Walker was asked about the possibility of Russell playing for Lithuania in 2028, he thought it would be a great fit, calling Russell one of his favorite teammates, according to Edvinas Jablonskis of BasketNews:
“Russell is one heck of a player. He’s a well-respected point guard. He’s great. He’s one of my favorite teammates. Even when I had my Game 4 against the Warriors, and I didn’t score a bucket, going into the 4th quarter, he called it out himself.
“He was one of the first players to say, ‘Yo, this is your quarter.’ Somehow, his energy and his manifestation got instilled into me, so a big shout out to D-Lo in that moment. He’s a terrific player. He’s a terrific teammate.
“Even when things aren’t going his way, he doesn’t waver, he doesn’t change his personality. He’s always gonna be a great teammate, cheering for you, and it’s always love at the end of the day. There’s no selfish act and selfishness with D-Lo, and teammates like that. It’s hard to come by,” Walker continued.
Walker’s fourth quarter in Game 4 against the Golden State Warriors was one of the most unforgettable moments of the entire season for L.A. Walker stepped up in a big way to help the Lakers take a crucial game from the Warriors and move closer to a spot in the conference finals.
It seems that motivation from Russell played a role in Walker having that special moment, which is great to hear from Walker even after some time has passed.
D’Angelo Russell has had some overlooked performances
D’Angelo Russell lost his starting spot with the Lakers earlier this season but has been effective coming off the bench. While he didn’t score much in the game against the Utah Jazz on Tuesday (eight points on 2-for-8 shooting), he contributed significantly in other areas of the game.
Russell grabbed six rebounds, dished out six assists — most of them to Knecht during his hot streak — and also recorded a steal and a block. Redick talked about Russell’s performance and what stood out to him.
“I thought, you know, they tried to run that zone and he kind of shot them out of it,” Redick said of Knecht. “But that was all D-Lo (D’Angelo Russell).”
