D'Angelo Russell made his first appearance at the Crypto.com Arena on Thursday following his blockbuster move from the Minnesota Timberwolves. He was spotted courtside right before tipoff along with fellow newcomers Malik Beasley and Jarred Vanderbilt. All three players have joined the Los Angeles Lakers as part of the trade deal that has sent Russell Westbrook to the Utah Jazz.
Russell did not make his Lakers debut on Thursday, but he joined his new team for their matchup against Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks. Unsurprisingly, the Russell sighting had LA fans fired up:
D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley are in the building pic.twitter.com/ht7N4hIhQL
— Jovan Buha (@jovanbuha) February 10, 2023
Lakers fans could not help but get all excited as they heaped praise on Russell and their team for what turned out to be a very successful trade deadline for them:
Bron really getting ring #5
— NOAH (@NOAHWASHEDUP) February 10, 2023
been a long time since i've been this excited for our team it's been a rough 2 years😭
— revenge-szn wiceas👾🎭💍 (@jerdelelerz) February 10, 2023
https://twitter.com/Jdjdjdd97819861/status/1623880483456053248
Oooo yeaaaa man i know we all can’t wait
— Zulu🤴🏾 (@Trayandre10) February 10, 2023
WE HERE😭 pic.twitter.com/Bim6r5G4B7
— 𝓛𝓛💫 (@HoodiiBron) February 10, 2023




Mannnnnn LAKERS are EXCITING again
— Gino (@vgmannn) February 10, 2023
At this point, it would be safe to say that Lakers fans are happy with the front office's dealings over the past couple of weeks. Let's also not forget that they got their hands on Rui Hachimura from the Washington Wizards. They closed out the trade window with one final trade that allowed them to acquire Magic big man Mo Bamba from the Orlando Magic. The Lakers did give up a whole lot for their new-look squad, but the important thing is that the fans are happy.
D'Angelo Russell will likely make his debut on Saturday against the defending champs Golden State Warriors, and the same could be the case for most, if not all of LA's new acquisitions. There's a new era in Hollywood, and it's hard for Laker Nation not to get excited.