Nets co-owner Clara Wu Tsai breaks out D’Angelo Russell’s ‘Ice in my veins’ courtside

Brooklyn Nets co-owner Clara Wu Tsai went viral for saluting guard D’Angelo Russell courtside with his ‘Ice in my veins’ celebration during Saturday’s contest against the Miami Heat. 

Russell told GQ in 2016 that the go-to taunt originally started when he was roughly 15 years old as his father advised him to be emotionless, prepared for pressure with ice in his veins. It didn’t take long in the Los Angeles limelight before this move had caught the sports world by storm. 

“I feel like it’s a new wave,” Russell said. “A lot of people in different sports are running with it. I feel like I get recognized every time someone does that. It’s always good to be a trendsetter.”

A wave that started with Brooklyn continues in Brooklyn. Even Tsai couldn’t help but get involved watching Russell perform, seated next to Nets legend Vince Carter on the evening of his No. 15 jersey retirement. 

Ironically, the celebration first debuted in the league during a March 1, 2016 matchup between the Nets and Lakers. Russell, drafted by Los Angeles with the No. 2 overall pick in 2015, recorded the most points (39) by a Lakers rookie since Elgin Baylor that night in one of just 17 wins during the 2015-16 campaign most known for Kobe Bryant's farewell tour.

Brooklyn made just five threes as a group and watched Russell drain eight of his 12 shots from behind the arc in the 107-101 loss. Far from marquee material looking back, the Nets’ starting lineup featured Donald Sloan, Wayne Ellington, Bojan Bogdanovic, Thaddeus Young and Brook Lopez. 

Following his sophomore season, Russell was traded to Brooklyn in exchange for Lopez and Kyle Kuzma, then later dealt again after just two seasons to Golden State in a league-altering move for superstar forward Kevin Durant, roughly six months after Wu Tsai entered the picture. 

The floor general's official return to the franchise earlier this month was more than welcomed by the Tsai family and Nets World alike. 

Wu Tsai, alongside her husband Joseph Tsai, purchased the Nets in January 2019, acquiring the WNBA’s New York Liberty and their Barclays Center home that year as well. The Lawrence, Kansas native is also a respected philanthropist, serving as the founder of the Joe and Clara Tsai Foundation, Social Justice Fund, Wu Tsai Human Performance Alliance and REFORM Alliance.

These organizations help impact issues such as social and racial justice, economic mobility, creative freedom, scientific research, prison reform and many other issues close to Wu Tsai’s heart. 

Close to her veins, though? Only ice.