"LeBron James had this man on a leash in LA" - NBA fans react to D'Angelo Russell dubbing Lakers' stint as 'traumatizing'

On Monday, the LA Lakers faced a familiar foe, D'Angelo Russell, who helped the Brooklyn Nets to a 111-108 win. The Lakers started the 2024-25 NBA season with Russell on the roster but traded him in December for Dorian Finney-Smith.

Against his former team, Russell played 28 minutes and had eight points, seven assists and two steals. His play didn't lead the Nets to a victory, but he enjoyed how Brooklyn won against the Lakers. The one-time All-Star discussed his stint with the purple and gold team the game.

According to Russell, he was a bit "traumatized" from playing for LA.

“It’s great,” Russell said. "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."

After he had shared his thoughts on his stint with the Lakers, fans talked about it on X. Here are some of what they thought about Russell's opinion:

"LeBron had this man on a leash in LA 😭 no wonder he’s happy," a fan commented.

"DLo acting like he just escaped Alcatraz when all he had to do was pass the ball to AD and Bron without vibes-checking first," another fan said.

"We get it man, you hate the pressure of real basketball and enjoy ymca hoops," one fan posted.

Other fans said they were "traumatized" by how he played with the Lakers:

"This had me traumatized too," a fan said.

"Traumatized from the bricks he put up in LA," another fan commented.

"We were traumatized by how a** you were vs. Denver," one fan said.

D'Angelo Russell is interested in signing a new contract with the Nets this summer

D'Angelo Russell is set to become a free agent this summer after his $18.6 million contract expires. While there haven't been any reports about the Brooklyn Nets' plans, Russell already said that he's willing to re-sign a new deal with the organization.

The 6-foot-4 guard talked about his intention to stay with the franchise during an interview with HoopsHype's Michael Scotto.

"Yeah," Russell said. "Why wouldn’t I? I keep seeing stuff coming out. I’ll tell you. Heck yeah. I want to be wherever I’m at. I’m here. I love these guys. I appreciate this, and I would love to be back."

Since the trade, Russell has averaged 13.8 points, 2.8 rebounds and 5.7 assists with the Nets.