D'Angelo Russell Says The Lakers 'Traumatized' Him

D'Angelo Russell has had some rough times in his NBA career, most recently as he was cast as the main problem at times with the Los Angeles Lakers, despite his strong production.

In an interview with Michael Scotto of HoopsHype, when asked about how comfortable he was to be back with the Brooklyn Nets (hint: very), D'Lo compared how at ease he is now compared to what it was like for him in LA.

It’s great. I would never take it for granted, coming from where I came from. Obviously, I was a little traumatized there. To be here and get the opportunity to just be me where there’s familiarity as well is just icing on the cake.

Russell was speaking after the Nets upended the Lakers, 111-108 at Barclays Center, handing Luka, LeBron & Co. their second consecutive loss after eight straight wins.

D'Lo's career has been marked by mostly bouncing back and forth between the Lakers and Nets. He was drafted by the Lakers with the 2nd overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, and spent two years there before going to Brooklyn for two seasons. He wound up back in LA in 2022 for 2 1/2 seasons, where he was often a lightning rod for what's wrong with the team—in particular, in the playoffs.

D’Angelo Russell is getting boo’d by the Laker fans. pic.twitter.com/7AggBQ7GJH
— Lakers All Day Everyday (@LADEig) April 26, 2024

How Lakers fans are watching D’Angelo Russell tonight pic.twitter.com/14X1dM6q3c
— Bernie (@BernieKnowsBall) April 27, 2024

Lakers fans really thought regular season D’Angelo Russell was gonna translate to playoff basketball pic.twitter.com/xSxtkh6ybF
— BIGMEM12 (@BIGMEM12) April 26, 2024

He landed with the Nets once again a couple of months back, where he's been rejuvenated.

His numbers are up a bit pretty much across the board since coming over from LA. In 21 games with Brooklyn, he's averaging 13.8 points and 5.7 assists, and says he'd love to re-sign with the Nets in free agency this summer.