D'Angelo Russell is quickly attempting to rebrand himself from contentious "snitch" to viral meme human being.
While the hubbub about Russell's accidental leaking of a teammate's filmed confession of infidelity was nothing if not a bit overblown, D-Lo's doing a great job of winning hearts and minds amongst younger fans and any basketball enthusiasts who enjoy a personality, even if he's getting some crusty "keep it classy" types a bit mock outraged in the process.
In the Samsung Summer League's early game of the summer which saw No. 2 pick Brandon Ingram and the Lakers square off against No. 1 pick Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers, a surprisingly thrilling post (pre)-season exhibition came down to a 69-67 final possession with the Lakers possessing one last shot for a win with under two seconds to go. D'Angelo didn't fail to deliver:
As if that wasn't enough, Russell immediately showcased his trademark sense of humor with a little bit of light-hearted vulgar self deprecating edge in the process:D'Angelo Russell for the win pic.twitter.com/eR5IWMR0EK
— Full Court Prez (@fullcourtprez) July 10, 2016
He then capped things off by taking a low key potshot referencing former Sixers GM Sam Hinkie's famed motto, "trust the process", a process which saw the Sixers go 47-199 under his reign but routinely accrue high draft picks for their futility:
D'Angelo Russell might not be the hero we need, but he's the hero we deserve.