It was actually D’Angelo Russell‘s father who celebrated with him on court after his game winning shot for the Lakers Saturday night
Barring Kobe Bryant‘s last game, the Los Angeles Lakers’ Summer League stunner against the 76ers was without a doubt the most exciting game of the past season.. or three.
Even before tip off, the energy in the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas was absolutely electric. With Lakers’ fans filling the stands hours before in order to get prime time seating, similar to last Summer League, the venue even had to open up the nose bleed seating to accommodate for all of the anxious fans.
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The game got off to one of the uglier starts in NBA history, as the players were obviously as hyped as the fans were about the matchup but all was amended in the fourth quarter when they finally settled in and gave the Vegas fans a spectacle.
While it would have been ideal to witness first and second overall picks, Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram duel it out, nobody was complaining when they were relatively quiet and it was D’Angelo Russell who stole the show.
Starting off extremely sloppy, Russell turned the ball over at a staggering rate, finishing with six turnovers, many of which were in the first quarter alone.
It wasn’t until fan favorite Ivica Zubac was absolutely destroyed by Jerami Grant that the Lakers team showed any fight, obviously wanting to avenge their teammate.
Nance told Zubac he’d get Philly back after the dunk, and he did, twice. Nance on Zubac: “He’s just a great guy. We love him.”
— Mike Trudell (@LakersReporter) July 10, 2016
But it was D’Angelo Russell who got the ultimate revenge when he led the team back from a 15-plus point deficit hitting huge shots down the stretch, none more clutch than his game winning three.
Many wondered who the guy was that rushed the court to celebrate with Russell was immediately after hitting the shot and it was actually his father who was watching the game courtside.
(VIDEO) @Dloading gets a hug from Dad after making a game-winner vs the 76ers: https://t.co/f09eGD8F0G pic.twitter.com/C4JExCPARn
— Ballislife.com (@Ballislife) July 10, 2016
It’s not every day that you see a bond like this between father and son, so to see them share in this exciting moment was awesome, especially when you consider that his dad did exactly what Lakers’ fans everywhere wished they could’ve after he hit that spectacular shot.
Next: Lakers Top 76ers In Summer League Thriller
The Lakers will look to build on their 2-0 Summer League start on Monday against the Golden State Warriors at 7:30PM PST on ESPN2, so make sure to tune in to that to watch more highlights from the team’s young core.