D'Angelo Russell Raves About the Structure and Culture of Brooklyn Nets
Aug 20, 2025
During a recent discussion on Dwyane Wade's Wy Network, Dallas Mavericks guard D'Angelo Russell gushed about how the Brooklyn Nets culture taught him to be a professional.
After a fantastic Freshman season at Ohio State that saw him named a First-Team All-American, Russell entered the 2015 NBA Draft and was taken second overall by the Los Angeles Lakers.
Russell could fill up the basket right away but was dogged by maturity issues, including a well-publicized incident with teammate Nick Young. The player was then traded to the Brooklyn Nets, and according to him, that's where he learned to turn things around. He explained
The organization in Brooklyn is unlike any other, it's unlike any other. The performance team, coaches, everything about Brooklyn is different than what you'd expect. And I've been around the league, where I came from the Lakers, where the structure's not the same. And then I go to Brooklyn, where it's all structure. And it taught me to be a professional."
Russell broke out as a star while in Brooklyn, making the NBA All-Star team in 2019. The team would later trade him a deal that netted them Kevin Durant. The talented guard bounced around but again found himself in Brooklyn for 29 games during the 2024-25 season.
For all of his compliments toward Brooklyn, the team and the player couldn't come to an agreement on a new contract. Russell will instead go to Dallas to hold down the point guard position until Kyrie Irving returns. He received a two-year, $13 million deal.
