D'Angelo Russell shouts out former T-Wolves teammate with wholesome interaction during Clash of the Boroughs

D’Angelo Russell has been on four teams throughout his NBA career, including the Minnesota Timberwolves. In Minnesota, Russell played alongside his friend Karl-Anthony Towns before getting traded to the LA Lakers in the middle of the 2022-2023 season.

Russell is back with the Brooklyn Nets, the team where he earned his first all-star nod in 2019. On Tuesday, the Nets faced the New York Knicks, where Towns has been displaying his brilliance as an all-around big.

On Instagram, Russell shared a snap of their meeting inside Barclays Center, shouting out his former teammate.

“1🤝32,” Russell wrote.

The Knicks defeated the Nets, 99-95, with Towns recording a huge double-double of 25 points and 16 rebounds. Meanwhile, Russell also had a double-double as he topped the scoring for his team with 23 points on 6 of 17 shooting, along with 10 assists.

It was Russell’s seventh game with the Nets this season after he and three second-round picks were traded by the Lakers in December for Dorian Finney-Smith and Shake Milton.

During their time as teammates, Russell and Towns did not reach the playoffs, finishing the regular season 11th in 2019-2020, 14th in 2020-2021 and 13th in 2021-2022.

Russell has played in the playoffs for the past two years with the Lakers, alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. On the other hand, Towns reached the Western Conference finals last season, losing to the Dallas Mavericks before he was traded to the Knicks for Julius Randle and Donte DiVicenzo.

The two go way back to the 2015 NBA draft, where Towns was the first overall pick and Russell was selected next. They were also rivals in high school.

Karl-Anthony Towns says he was hurt after learning D’Angelo Russell trade out of Minnesota

Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell were pumped that they would be playing together when the Timberwolves snagged the guard from the Golden State Warriors in 2020. However, after he was traded by Minnesota, Towns felt hurt about it.

“I was hurt, obviously,” Towns said in 2023, via 'Podcast P with Paul George.' "I’m just happy he got to LA and they embraced him. He has done a great job at staying ready in the moment.”

Russell was traded to the Lakers before the 2023 trade deadline in a three-team deal that landed the Timberwolves Mike Conley and Nickeil Alexander-Walker while giving the Utah Jazz Russell Westbrook's contract.