{"id":735162,"date":"2026-05-15T16:30:19","date_gmt":"2026-05-15T16:30:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/735162\/"},"modified":"2026-05-15T16:30:19","modified_gmt":"2026-05-15T16:30:19","slug":"live-video-reveals-reality-of-lebron-james-relationship-with-ex-laker-dangelo-russell","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/735162\/","title":{"rendered":"Live Video Reveals Reality of LeBron James\u2019 Relationship With Ex-Laker D\u2019Angelo Russell"},"content":{"rendered":"

There is a long-standing debate around the NBA. Many say that LeBron James is influential enough in his team\u2019s front office. So much so that he can orchestrate trades; \u2018LeGM\u2019, you\u2019ve heard that name before. Yet, when former Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> teammate D\u2019Angelo Russell called him, their interaction told a different story. Despite rumors claiming the Lakers traded D\u2019Lo to the Brooklyn Nets<\/a> because of the Akron Hammer.<\/p>\n

Recently, Russell joined Bryan Bros Golf. While the host, Wesley Bryan, accompanied the Washington Wizards<\/a> star in a golf cart, he asked, \u201cCan you get me a signed LeBron jersey?\u201d Almost immediately, D\u2019Lo responded, \u201cShould we call him?\u201d Now, the 30-year-old had just gotten a new number, and he thought James wouldn\u2019t receive his call. Yet, he dialed.<\/p>\n

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\u201cLeBron James!\u201d D\u2019Angelo Russell said in a shrill tone as soon as the 41-year-old picked up. Then Russell turned the phone towards Wesley, and James recognized him. Then Russell turned the phones to show James, \u201cthe star of the show,\u201d Ms. Felice aka, Felice Tambunting, a young golfer from the Philippines. Now, co-host George Bryan comes in and tells LeBron about D\u2019Angelo Russell\u2019s golfing skills.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m coming for you,\u201d Russell declared to the still-new in the game, rookie golfer LeBron James<\/a>. Then James said, \u201cHey, D-Lo, AR said make a putt.\u201d The 30-year-old responded, \u201d I\u2019m trying, bro. I\u2019m trying.\u201d Meanwhile, Wesley Bryan said as a matter of fact that the ex-Laker actually did make a putt!<\/p>\n

\u201cHey, I\u2019m trying to hit good shots, so I don\u2019t have to putt,\u201d D\u2019Lo went on. But the host told James that Russell got four pars in his first six holes. \u201cYou wouldn\u2019t know nothing about no pars,\u201d Russell told LeBron James. And he replied, \u201cNo, not yet.\u201d At the same time, both the Bryan brothers appreciated LeBron\u2019s contribution to golf.<\/p>\n

Now, while ending the call, D\u2019Angelo Russell<\/a> told LeBron, \u201cMy dog. LeBron James Backyard Cup 2026. Come on.\u201d In response, Bron also said, \u201cMy dog.\u201d Well, this conversation itself seemingly puts an end to all the speculations and rumors about the 41-year-old\u2019s involvement in Russell\u2019s trade from the Lakers to the Nets in 2024.<\/p>\n

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Well, let\u2019s look back at what happened on December 29, 2024.<\/p>\n

LeBron James\u2019 alleged involvement in D\u2019Angelo Russell\u2019s trade back to the Brooklyn Nets<\/p>\n

The Los Angeles Lakers<\/a> finally snapped months of roster silence on December 29, 2024, and the move instantly stirred the NBA rumor machine. The franchise shipped D\u2019Angelo Russell, Maxwell Lewis<\/a>, and 3 second-round picks to the Brooklyn Nets, while Dorian Finney-Smith<\/a> and Shake Milton<\/a> headed to Hollywood. Although some fans cringed at the price, others saw relief. After all, the Lakers had chased a reliable 3-and-D wing and steadier perimeter shooting for ages, and Finney-Smith checked both boxes without much debate.<\/p>\n

Meanwhile, Russell\u2019s rough season added extra fuel to the chatter. The guard, who looked sharp for long stretches last year, failed to find that rhythm consistently this time around. Then came Dwight Howard<\/a> with a social media bombshell. The former Lakers center hinted that LeBron James played a role in DLo\u2019s exit, turning an already spicy trade into full-blown internet theater. \u201cLeGM made the Decision. LeGm said it\u2019s enough DLO,\u201d the ex-Lakers claimed.<\/p>\n

\"LeBron<\/p>\n

LeBron James celebrates with D\u2019Angelo Russell (Image Credit: IMAGN)<\/p>\n

For years, whispers around the league painted LeBron James as the ultimate power broker<\/a> in Los Angeles<\/a>. Fans frequently tied Klutch Sports to major Lakers decisions, while the Russell Westbrook<\/a> experiment kept resurfacing as Exhibit A. Meanwhile, many believed LeBron heavily influenced the Lakers\u2019 decision to hire JJ Redick<\/a> as head coach and select Bronny James<\/a> in the draft.<\/p>\n

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But in the end, D\u2019Angelo Russell and LeBron James looked far from two stars carrying trade drama and hidden tension. Instead, the call felt natural, competitive, and personal. While rumors kept painting LeBron as the force behind the Lakers\u2019 biggest decisions, Russell\u2019s easy banter with him told another story. Moreover, the warmth between them quietly challenged months of speculation surrounding the Nets trade, Dwight Howard\u2019s claims, and the endless LeGM narrative.<\/p>\n

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The post Live Video Reveals Reality of LeBron James\u2019 Relationship With Ex-Laker D\u2019Angelo Russell<\/a> appeared first on EssentiallySports<\/a>. Add EssentiallySports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"There is a long-standing debate around the NBA. Many say that LeBron James is influential enough in his…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":735163,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":"","_share_on_mastodon":"0"},"categories":[3767],"tags":[7,1006,670,247,3803,7265,374,1676,91029,1661,185,251,150,4612,6,671,254,4611,468,91030],"class_list":{"0":"post-735162","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-brooklyn-nets","8":"tag-basketball","9":"tag-bronny-james","10":"tag-brooklyn","11":"tag-brooklyn-nets","12":"tag-brooklynnets","13":"tag-dangelo-russell","14":"tag-dorian-finney-smith","15":"tag-dwight-howard","16":"tag-george-bryan","17":"tag-jj-redick","18":"tag-lebron-james","19":"tag-los-angeles","20":"tag-los-angeles-lakers","21":"tag-maxwell-lewis","22":"tag-nba","23":"tag-nets","24":"tag-russell-westbrook","25":"tag-shake-milton","26":"tag-washington-wizards","27":"tag-wesley-bryan"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nba\/116579547692307602","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/735162","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=735162"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/735162\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/735163"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=735162"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=735162"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nba\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=735162"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}