D'Angelo Russell gets brutally honest about first stint with Kobe Bryant, Lakers

D'Angelo Russell has a unique place in Los Angeles Lakers history. He's the one and only player who has the honor of saying that he was teammates with both Kobe Bryant and LeBron James while wearing the purple and gold.

In a recent interview, Russell opened up about the experience of playing with Bryant and shared his candid thoughts and regrets about the experience.

Russell was selected by the Lakers at No. 2 overall in the 2015 NBA Draft. He played with Bryant during the five-time champion's final season in the Association, operating as the other starter in what, in an alternate timeline, would've become a star-studded backcourt.

In a recent appearance on the Run Your Race podcast, Russell opened up about the experience of playing with and learning from Bryant—and how hard it was for him as a young player to put things into perspective.

"Great time. I mean, once again I was just naive to his whole legacy at that time. I’m 18, bro, so I’m young and dumb. Everything’s funny. Kobe Bryant, let me see if I can make him laugh. Just young and dumb bro. So I got it the hard way. He wasn’t laughing, he was serious all the time. But he little bro’d me though, it wasn’t like, 'Shoo fly,' it was like, 'Lil bro, you shouldn’t do that. Think about this.’ And I’m moving at 100 miles an hour and he’d be talking to me like he was Mr. Miyagi and I’d hear him, and then I’m moving again. Then you’ll get a text from him, and then I’m moving again. It was a blur for real, for real, but little things come back and I’ll remember a lot of stuff he was saying."

Russell spoke with candor and transparency, providing insight into what made Bryant a great mentor and revealing how he wasn't yet ready for that experience.

Kobe Bryant mentored D'Angelo Russell during season together

Bryant was a Lakers lifer, playing 20 seasons with the franchise after being acquired on the night of the 1996 NBA Draft. During that time, he won an MVP award, five championships, two Finals MVP honors, and two scoring titles.

Bryant was also a 15-time All-NBA honoree, 12-time All-Defense selectee, and an 18-time All-Star who's widely regarded as one of the greatest players in NBA history.

Bryant was nearing the end of his career when he played with Russell, but his influence remained as profound as ever. A generational talent who inspired countless players who followed in his footsteps, his work ethic, style of play, and postseason performances set a remarkable standard.

Russell speaking openly about the experience of playing with Bryant provides incredible insight into what the experience of a young NBA player is really like.

Bryant had as much wisdom as any player in NBA history to impart upon the younger generation. When a player is entering the Association at such a young age, however, it's hard to rationally expect them to be ready for such an opportunity—or, in many cases, burden.

For Russell, he was drafted just four months after turning 19 and was instantly expected to function as one of the Lakers' next franchise players after Bryant retired.

The fact that Bryant wanted Russell to learn from him during the unique experience of being a rookie alongside an active legend is interesting enough. Bryant treating Russell with enough respect to try to redirect his focus without disrespecting him shows why he's so beloved.

It's easy to imagine what could've been had Russell approached his first Lakers stint differently, but a player openly acknowledging what they wish they could've done differently deserves nothing but respect.