Birth of Russell’s son Riley in 2022 helped him on and off the court: ‘I got a different motivation’

It is hard to get a 1-year-old to focus on anything for any length of time, but there’s an exception when point guard D’Angelo Russell is playing for the Los Angeles Lakers. With a playoff berth in the balance for the Lakers in New Orleans Tuesday night, Riley Russell will likely be focused watching his father on television while holding a mini basketball in his hand back home in Los Angeles.

“He goes to a lot of the games, but if he’s not at the game, the nanny or somebody will send a video in the group text of the guys at home watching the game and he’s just in the mix with everybody,” Russell told Andscape in a recent phone interview about his son. “He might be sitting on the table just into the game celebrating. And he knows the little nuances of basketball already. Pass. Dunk. Shoot. Dribble. He knows when the ball goes in. That’s a good thing, too.”

For D’Angelo Russell, the birth of his son on Sept. 24, 2022, was life-changing for him on and off the court. Before his son was born, Russell didn’t feel focused on the court and felt restless as he bounced around the NBA before finding a home with the Lakers.

Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell dribbles the ball with his son, Riley, before a game.Abigail Field

Russell and his loved ones were very emotional during the 2015 NBA draft when the Lakers made an unexpected move by selecting him second overall out of Ohio State. The 2016 NBA All-Rookie Team selection averaged 14.3 points and 4.0 assists in his first two seasons, but was traded to the Brooklyn Nets on June 20, 2017, with Timofey Mozgov for Brook Lopez and a first-round pick. In 2019, Russell was an NBA All-Star and finished second overall in the Most Improved Player voting. But before Russell could get comfortable in Brooklyn, he was dealt to the Golden State Warriors on a sign-and-trade deal that netted him a four-year, $117 million contract in the Kevin Durant blockbuster trade of July 1, 2019.

Russell was averaging a career-high 23.6 points, along with 6.2 assists and 3.7 rebounds in 33 games with Golden State when he was traded on Feb. 6, 2020, to the Minnesota Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins, a protected 2021 first-round pick and a 2021 second-round pick. And on Feb. 29, 2022, Russell was traded back to the Lakers in a three-team deal involving the Utah Jazz, sending Mike Conley Jr. and Nickeil Alexander-Walker to Minnesota.

Russell finally appeared to get some stability when he signed a two-year, $37 million contract extension with the Lakers in July 2023. Through NBA jersey and address changes, Russell said, he had to remind himself to “be humble.” Russell added that during his NBA career he learned a lot from teammates Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Karl-Anthony Towns, LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the late Kobe Bryant.

“I have been through a lot. I have done a lot. I have seen a lot,” Russell said. “But also, I have been around a lot of people and I have brushed with the shoulders of some of the greats of the game. I’ve managed to take a lot from them and I utilize what I’ve taken in these situations. If it’s the mentality, the not-give-up factor, whatever it may be, I find a way to take it from these greats that I’ve been around and then I look in the mirror. I got to realize, too, that I’m a product of my environment; some of the greats of the game has been my environment.

“Anything that I’ve been through or go through or I’m prepared for and I’m built for it. I always attack that pressure, challenge, obstacle or adversity head-on. I always love when my back is against the wall because you find a way out of everything you’ve been a part of.”

Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell reacts during the game against the Memphis Grizzlies at FedExForum on March 27 in Memphis, Tennessee.

JUSTIN FORD/GETTY IMAGES

Since he and his partner Laura Ivaniukas welcomed their first child, Russell said, his life has changed for the better.

The combo guard has been a dependable third scorer behind James and Davis for the Lakers over the past two seasons. He averaged 17.0 and 18.4 points, respectively, during the 2022-23 and 2023-24 seasons. He also logged the two best 3-point shooting and turnover seasons of his career.

According to the Lakers, this season, Russell joined Stephen Curry, Damian Lillard and Jalen Brunson as only the fourth player in NBA history to have 200 3-pointers made, 400 assists and shoot better than 40% from 3-point range in a single season.

“Honestly, I’ll always have a chip on my shoulder. And once I started training [for the 2022-23 season], I started working hard and digging deep into my training. All I really saw was my son when I wanted to take a break or wanted water or something like that. I always felt that in the back of my mind I got a different motivation. I got more in the tank,” Russell said.

Russell said he also changed his focus off the court as well. Before his son’s birth, he had a true fear of missing out with his friends. After his son was born, he said, there has been a stronger focus on family. Russell regularly posts pictures of his son at home and at Lakers games on his Instagram page, including one of his son in the locker room shaking hands with Davis. He and Ivaniukas gave their son a Lakers-themed first birthday party with Riley on a basketball card and everyone wearing Russell’s jersey from the Lakers or his past teams.

“Before becoming a parent, life seemed complete,” Russell said. “But it was the arrival of Riley that filled every corner of our hearts with a love so deep. It reshaped our world, continuously teaching us patience, resilience, and the true meaning of unconditional love. A new purpose in life, beyond basketball …

“Before I had a kid, I always felt like I needed to be a part of my friends’ motion and see what they had going on and this and that. And I always realized I was a homebody. So, once I had a kid it allowed me to just settle into being a homebody and focus in on myself and my foundation, my family and the life after basketball and all these different entities.”

Russell said that he was blessed with a supportive father, Antonio, who taught him how to be a father. Russell also asked for fatherhood advice from James and Davis, his NBA All-Star teammates who each have three children.

Russell announced on his show, The Backyard Podcast, in March that his partner is pregnant with the couple’s first daughter.

“I remember vividly asking LeBron about spanking his kids and all of that and he gave me some very good intel on that,” Russell said. “And then A.D. has given me some good advice on having a daughter as well and I hear those things. I take little notes mentally and it all comes to light at some point. You asked about it and that was the first thing I thought of because I remember those things and I hear it. Like I said, I’m a fan of asking all the questions …

“All my friends have girls and they say, ‘It’s everything and it’s going to change you. A lot of people around me have [daughters]. I try to ask all the right questions and prepare myself for it.”

Los Angeles Lakers guard D’Angelo Russell holds his son, Riley, after a game.

With Riley watching from Los Angeles, Russell and the 8th-seeded Lakers are in New Orleans preparing to land a playoff opportunity Tuesday against the 7th-seeded New Orleans Pelicans in the NBA play-in tournament. The winner will earn the seventh seed in the Western Conference playoffs and a first-round matchup against the defending champion Denver Nuggets. Russell is averaging 21.3 points, 4.3 made 3-pointers and 3.3 assists in three games against the Pelicans this season.

The loser of the Lakers-Pelicans game will host a do-or-die game Thursday for the final Western Conference playoff spot against the winner of Tuesday’s contest between the host Sacramento Kings and the Warriors. The winner of that game earns the right to play the Oklahoma City Thunder, the West’s No. 1 seed, in the first round and the loser’s season will be over.

Russell is optimistic that the Lakers will find a way to get into the postseason from the Play-In Tournament after going from the play-in to the Western Conference finals last season and winning the inaugural NBA in-season tournament in December 2023.

“The key for us is our determination,” Russell said. “We all want to get back to where we were. We’re better than we were, and we can beat and compete with any team in the league on any given night. So, for us it’s just continuing to weather the storm through hard times and through good times. Not being too high and content.”