D’Angelo Russell calls Brooklyn a ‘winning environment’ in Nets reunion

Former NBA All-Star guard D’Angelo Russell has fully loaded for his second run with Brooklyn after being reacquired from the Los Angeles Lakers, posting 22 points and eight assists in 26 minutes during a 130–113 road loss to Toronto on New Year’s Day. 

Buyout rumors, while short-lived, be gone. 

Not only did Russell provide insight into his emotions following a trade that yet again dragged him to the Borough , but also touched on his initial departure from the Nets in 2019 and the growth endured since, both as an individual and a player. If nothing else, the 2015 No. 2 overall pick made two things crystal clear in his 2025 debut with Brooklyn: he’s comfortable rejoining the organization, and he believes this opportunity is conducive to winning… now.

“This environment's great,” Russell said following his first practice with the new-look Nets. “The guys around here, you can just tell the camaraderie, it feels like a college environment almost. I think in the league, teams that create that college environment have a lot of success.

"They have that camaraderie within the team. Guys are willing to learn and be coachable. I just think it just speeds up the process of getting to where you want to get as a team. To jump in with these guys in this environment is a winning environment.”

Faithful NBA fans acknowledge how far Russell has come compared to the immature guard we once knew, a stigma that started to fade with well-respected time in Brooklyn years ago. Now, the 28-year-old floor general sees himself as someone who can serve as a true leader for a team with promising talent and ambitious intentions.

Whether that leads to seeing a positive shift in the win column for the Nets, in defiance of those hoping for a complete tank, is still left unwritten.

“I think my last few years have been me focusing on how I can be the best me and lead guys,” Russell explained. “I just think that's my niche, being able to give a group what they need. I don't know. I just feel like I recognize what a group may need and try to bridge the gap in any way I can. If that's vocally, if that's by my play, if that's leading, gathering the guys when we're not on the basketball court, whatever it may be, just trying to lead guys in a sense that I'm a guy you can follow if you need that guidance.”

Russell doesn’t hold any grudges from being shipped to Golden State after his lone All-Star season with the Nets, either. Most veterans that last long enough in this league will all tell you the same thing – it's a business. 

“Honestly, as soon as I left, I understood the business of it because I was going somewhere that laid out an opportunity as well,” Russell admitted. “There was no spite, no hard feelings there. Nothing to really get over.”

Widely disputed but nonetheless enjoyed, the Russell-Nets reunion is official all the way down to his beloved No. 1 jersey thanks to Zaire Williams, who didn’t exactly make a switch to No. 8 at no cost (although for an undisclosed amount). 

As they say, all’s well that ends well.