SLAM magazine celebrates D’Angelo Russell’s 2019 Nets cover

It was all a dream…

SLAM, a wildly-popular American basketball magazine for over 30 years and running, is honoring D’Angelo Russell’s return to the borough. The publication has now re-released the SLAM 221 cover merchandise, commemorating one of the more beloved moments in recent Nets history.

The cover centers on Russell in his dark ‘BKLYN’ Nike jersey with a tilted crown, reminiscent of The Notorious B.I.G.’s legendary photo, titled using the world-famous opening line of “Juicy.” You’ll be hard-pressed to find a basketball magazine cover more Brooklyn than that. 

In the magazine’s feature story, Russell started by reliving the origin of “Rainbow," the nickname given to him as a child because of how high he shot the ball. His brother recounted how Russell didn’t exactly have the strength to shoot, so instead just threw the ball up – but it always found the net, destined from the start.

Russell’s brother, Antonio, also shared that the Nets guard likely developed his mental toughness over the years constantly hooping with older friends. Everybody went at him, and he went at everybody. The ice in his veins was slowly forming, but once Russell got to a national high school juggernaut at Montverde Academy, things really started to mold when his new home became the bench after a standout freshman campaign prior in Louisville, Kentucky. 

"I remember coming in, I was coming off the bench. I would dominate practice. I didn’t understand why I wasn’t playing. I called my dad after, like, a month or two and I was like, ‘I wanna come home.’ He was like, ‘Nah, stick it out. You wanna win a national championship or a state championship?’ I was like, damn, OK. Then we ended up winning. The pain, the storm that you go through, it’s always brighter on the other side when you just deal with it."

D'Angelo Russell (via SLAM)

You know how the rest went. Struggles continued to follow, though Russell still muscled through the ranks to become the No. 2 overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, selected by the Los Angeles Lakers and dealt two years later to the Nets. By the 2018-19 campaign, a new person had emerged. SLAM detailed how Russell remained in Brooklyn during the 2018 offseason, over a return to Louisville or Los Angeles, and how his focus on reshaping habits led to an ultimate confidence once he was allowed to take control of the Nets offense.

Russell ultimately became an NBA All-Star during that 42-win Nets season, averaging 21.1 points, 7.0 assists and 3.9 rebounds on 43.4 percent shooting from the floor in an effort flooded with highlight-reel moments. The Notorious D-Lo, as SLAM dubbed the Brooklyn fan favorite, provided an unforgettable excitement the Nets have welcomed back once again in a 2025 reunion, and no matter how long it lasts, either, fans will enjoy the ride through an otherwise insufferable tank. 

“I get so focused on what I’m trying to achieve and I just look up and all of this is here,” Russell reflected with SLAM on his career-best season.

I used to read SLAM magazine. 

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