10 years later that mf still ‘loading’ 😭😭😭 When the Los Angeles Lakers selected D’Angelo Russell with the second overall pick in the 2015 #NBADraft the vision seemed obvious. The franchise was entering life after #KobeBryant and Russell was supposed to be one of the faces of the next era. He had the flashy passing, deep shooting range, confidence, and star potential that made fans believe he could eventually carry the torch in Los Angeles. While nobody expected him to become Kobe overnight, there was a genuine belief that Russell would grow into the Lakers’ next homegrown superstar. Instead, his #Lakers journey became a story of unrealized expectations. Russell developed into a talented player and even made an All-Star team, but he never became the #franchise cornerstone many envisioned on draft night. The pressure of succeeding a legend like Kobe Bryant was enormous, and the Lakers soon pivoted toward a new direction centered around other stars. Looking back, it’s one of the more...