Lakers: Check Out D’Angelo Russell’s New Muhammad Ali Tattoo

Los Angeles Lakers point guard D’Angelo Russell has played quite well in the first four preseason games for the Purple and Gold and he rewarded himself by getting some new ink

Currently averaging 17.5 points and 2.8 assists per game, while shooting 45.2 percent, in LA’s most recent game against the Portland Trailblazers, Russell revealed his newest piece of ink to fans everywhere: a tribute to Muhammad Ali on his calf.

This of course opened up a vast array of questions which we set out to answer for ourselves.

https://twitter.com/Lakers/status/786043339464253440

First, Russell is only 20 years old, and Ali was in his heyday in the 1960s and 70s — well before Russell was born. So the question then becomes, why does Ali mean so much to Russell that he had to immortalize him in tattoo form?

I guess we’ll never really know, unless he’s asked by a reporter and he divulges but there’s no harm in us speculating a little.

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Russell Relates to Ali’s Quote

“Float like a butterfly, sting like a bee,” was Ali’s most well known mantra. Even though Russell is only 20, he most likely knows this line of Ali’s.

So, maybe Russell felt a certain connection to the quote. Maybe he considers his own game to be like Ali’s fighting style. If that’s the case, this tattoo makes a whole lot of sense, and it ups the cool factor as well.

Russell Wants to be a Boxer

Muhammad Ali is considered one of the greatest boxers of all time. He’s won multiple titles and an Olympic gold medal. He was also one of the leading African American athletes in the Civil Rights Movement to boot.

So perhaps this is Russell’s way of telling the world he wants some of that boxing action. Players such as Carmelo Anthony use boxing to stay in shape, so it’s not inconceivable that maybe Russell has already tried it.

Maybe he’ll retire in five years and tell us all in a press conference that he has always wanted to be a boxer and will pursue a career in the sport. It’s not like other athlete’s haven’t tried that in the past. Michael Jordan has done it, and even more recently, Tim Tebow joined a minor league baseball roster.

Would Russell be a good boxer? Maybe, but he should probably stay away from telling his opponents he has ice in his veins.

Russell is Converting to Islam

This is the most ridiculous potential reason, but is it though?

Ali eschewed his given name of Cassius Clay when he converted, and it defined part of his career. Kareem Abdul Jabbar famously converted and changed his name, which was originally Ferdinand Louis Alcindor, Jr (Kareem is so much better).

So maybe Russell will go that route, and this is his way of letting people know he’s interested in the Islamic faith, like two Hall of Fame athletes before him.

Or, he could have seen the tattoo in one of those books at the tattoo shop and really liked it, and just said, “That one.”

In all seriousness, regardless of the reason, it’s a pretty snazzy tattoo and at this rapid rate, Russell should resemble Chris “Birdman” Andersen by the end of his career.

Next: Debate: Who Will Get the Lakers' Final Roster Spot?

What do you think D’Lo next tattoo will pay homage to? Let us know on Twitter at @TheLakeShowLife.