D’Angelo Russell reveals he cried as a kid the first time he saw LeBron James play live

LeBron James has inspired his own teammates more than he even knows, as he’s been an example of success in the NBA for over two decades now. The Lakers superstar is in the midst of his 21st campaign in the league, and that means that he competes alongside players who saw him play when they were growing up and were still learning to love basketball. 

In a recent interview with D’Angelo Russell, he revealed that the first time his father took him to an NBA match, he saw the 39-year-old play live and witnessed one of his signature dunks. He was only 7-years-old and he cried when he saw this, as he was in awe of LeBron and felt for the first time his desire to become a professional athlete.

“He’s the first person I saw play in the NBA, to be honest,”the LA guard said. “My dad took me to my first NBA game, it was against the Pacers. I’m from Kentucky so that was our pro team and they played the Cavs. I was a big LeBron fan. He did that signature dunk. I remember crying.”

D’Angelo Russell was such a big LeBron James fan that he cried the first time he saw him play: https://t.co/xfYs4AA66d

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Russell made his NBA debut in 2015, in the same tournament that LeBron won his last NBA title with Cleveland. Eight years later, they are teammates in California and he’s still D’Angelo’s biggest inspiration. In a way, the 28-year-old only knows a world in which James is one of the best players in history.

“Being at the game as a fan and watching him do that dunk that he always did on commercials and all that. And seeing him do it, I remember crying vividly. That was when I was like, this is where I want to be. He’s inspired me without even knowing it,” the point guard assured.

Even after 21 years in the league, the veteran keeps pushing the limits in modern basketball. Not only did he reach uncharted territory becoming the first NBA player to ever surpass the 40,000-point record, but he’s posting 25.2 points, 7.2 rebounds and 8.0 assists per contest this campaign.

“He’s continuing to inspire the youth and his teammates, but the youth as a whole, everybody kind of looks up to a guy like him,” Russell expressed. “He paves the way for us on and off the floor, just a true role model. So I’m not surprised by anything he’s doing. I won’t be surprised by anything he continues to do. The sky is really the limit for him and what he’s done for this game.”

D’Angelo says he constantly forgets that James is 39-year-old as he keeps dominating the floor on a nightly basis

Even to this day, Russell admits that LeBron continues to impress him and his entire locker room with what he accomplishes night after night in the NBA. In a way, the 28-year-old forgets the fact that the power forward is competing in his 21st year.

“I mean, I forget that. The way he plays and his energy. If you try to compare how high he jumps when he first got to the league until now, obviously it’s a little dropoff, but he’s still jumping over dudes and doing all this athletic stuff. For me, I’m not surprised,” D’Angelo said.

The all-time NBA scoring leader is still responsible for leading the purple and gold despite his age, as he’s been averaging 35.2 minutes per match this season, and dropping in 52.7% of his field goal attempts and 40.3% of his shots from beyond the arc.

“I think he’s still capable, he’s still got it. He’s still got some years under his belt. You’re seeing year 21. Might be seeing year 25 when you look up. So I’m not surprised,” Russell concluded.