D'Angelo Russell
A smooth, crafty guard with preternatural passing vision who has authored career revivals by embracing his signature playmaking flair.
Born 1996 (age 30)·American basketball player·Birthday: February 23·Millennials
Biography
D'Angelo Russell's NBA career has been a series of compelling chapters defined by both dazzling skill and public scrutiny. Drafted second overall by the Lakers in 2015, he showed flashes of brilliant court vision but found his tenure overshadowed by off-court drama. A trade to Brooklyn became his liberation. There, under coach Kenny Atkinson, he flourished, unleashing his pick-and-roll mastery and earning an All-Star selection in 2019, leading the Nets to an unexpected playoff berth. Subsequent stops in Golden State, Minnesota, and a return to the Lakers saw him adapt his game, sometimes struggling to fit rigid systems before finding his groove as a scoring playmaker. His ability to run an offense and hit audacious shots has made him a constant, if peripatetic, threat, a player whose talent ensures he's always in demand to spark a team's attack.
Millennials
1981–1996
The first digital natives. Grew up with the internet, came of age during 9/11 and the 2008 crash. Highly educated, deeply indebted, slower to marry and buy houses. Redefined work, identity, and what it means to be an adult.
D'Angelo was born in 1996, placing them squarely in the Millennials. The events that shaped this generation — the internet revolution, 9/11, and the 2008 financial crisis — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When D'Angelo Was Born
The biggest hits of 1996
#1 Movie
Independence Day
Best Picture
The English Patient
#1 TV Show
ER
D'Angelo's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1996Born
Dolly the sheep cloned
Gas: $1.23/galHome: $99,700Min wage: $4.75/hrPresident: Bill Clinton"Macarena" — Los del RioBest Picture: The English Patient
2001Started school
September 11 attacks transform the world
Gas: $1.46/galHome: $126,400Min wage: $5.15/hrPresident: George W. Bush"Hanging by a Moment" — LifehouseBest Picture: A Beautiful Mind
2009Became a teenager
Michael Jackson dies; Bitcoin created
Gas: $2.35/galHome: $148,500Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Boom Boom Pow" — The Black Eyed PeasBest Picture: The Hurt Locker
2012Could drive
Curiosity rover lands on Mars; Sandy Hook shooting
Gas: $3.64/galHome: $143,200Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Somebody That I Used to Know" — GotyeBest Picture: Argo
2014Could vote
Russia annexes Crimea; Ebola outbreak in West Africa
Gas: $3.37/galHome: $160,700Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Barack Obama"Happy" — Pharrell WilliamsBest Picture: Birdman
2017Turned 21
#MeToo movement; solar eclipse crosses the US
Gas: $2.42/galHome: $195,000Min wage: $7.25/hrPresident: Donald Trump"Shape of You" — Ed SheeranBest Picture: The Shape of Water
2026Turned 30
Gas: $3.91/galPresident: Donald Trump
Key Achievements
- Named an NBA All-Star in 2019 as a member of the Brooklyn Nets, averaging a career-high 21.1 points and 7.0 assists per game.
- Won the NBA All-Rookie Second Team honor in 2016 with the Los Angeles Lakers.
- Led the NBA in total three-pointers made during the 2023-24 season.
- Recorded a career-high 52 points in a game for the Brooklyn Nets in 2020.
Did You Know?
He is nicknamed 'DLo,' a shorthand for his first name.
In high school, he played alongside other future NBA players Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones at Monteverde Academy.
He was selected to the 2014 McDonald's All-American Game and was named co-MVP of the Jordan Brand Classic.
He is known for his distinctive, slow-paced, and often unorthodox playing style, which he calls 'slow-mo.'
“I just play with a swag. I play with a confidence. I feel like I’m the best player on the court at all times.”
