In his introductory press conference, D’Angelo Russell mentioned that he finally spoke to Kobe Bryant just yesterday for the first time. He mentioned the process shocking him for how quickly it moved, but also what he looks forward to as a Laker.
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As per usual with tradition nowadays, Kobe Bryant came up, and Russell sounded thrilled to play with the Mamba. This, via Eric Pincus of the Los Angeles Times.
D'Angelo Russell said he spoke to Kobe Bryant yesterday, told Bryant he's a "sponge" - wants to learn "everything"
— Eric Pincus (@EricPincus) June 29, 2015
Russell is obviously saying all the right things here, but it sounds legitimately genuine. It didn’t take long for him to make his way into the gym to get shots up once drafted and that work ethic is the exact type of thing that will endure Russell to Kobe and Lakers fans everywhere.
At the end of the day, despite becoming nauseatingly cliche, prospects who learn from Kobe could do much worse. That Russell could possibly play the same position from his potential mentor makes this situation all the more ideal.
Can this season start already?!