D'Angelo Russell Is Exactly Where He Wants to Be

Last year, D’Angelo Russell had one of those seasons NBA players make vision boards about. In his fourth year in the league, Russell made the proverbial leap, leading his Brooklyn Nets to the playoffs, making his first All-Star appearance along the way. Such runaway success had the added benefit of making the Los Angeles Lakers take a long, mopey look in the mirror: L.A. drafted the point guard second overall out of Ohio State in 2015, then shipped him out of town after just two seasons. It’s nice to become an All-Star. It’s even nicer when it comes with a little side of vindication.

But in what’s becoming something of a theme for the 23-year-old, Russell only spent two seasons in Brooklyn before free agents Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving decided to come to the borough. Their blockbuster decisions led to a sign-and-trade that landed Russell with the Golden State Warriors, where he’s now the proud owner of a new four-year, $117 million contract that reflects his status as a bona fide star. There may be a pattern to his first two stints in the league, but the aftertaste couldn’t be more different this time around: In 2017, he landed on a haggard Nets team that had won a mere 20 games the season before; in 2019, he becomes the latest world-beater to join the premier franchise in the NBA. First as tragedy, then as triumph.

I caught up with Russell after his photo shoot at a studio in mid-city Los Angeles, where he looked like a hundred million bucks—but was still upstaged by his dog, a Boston Terrier puppy named Nino, who adorably chewed on your poor interviewer’s fingers as I tried vainly to do my job. Despite the precious distraction, Russell still managed to talk about taking the next step in his career, the happy ending to his tumultuous offseason, and falling in step with the league’s hottest new trend. That’s right: He’s a wine guy now.

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D'Angelo Russell Has a Magic Trick He'd Like to Show You

You’re really into dogs, right?

Yeah, man.

Do you have other dogs?

Yeah, I actually have two other dogs. I’m a dog lover—I’ve had them since I was younger.

Have you always had them while you were in the league?

Yeah, I’ve had five or six dogs since I’ve been in the league.

What’s the logistics of that like?

I like to come home to them. It’s kind of hard to travel with them or do anything like that.

That must be such a challenge of playing. You’re off on the road all the time, so you’ve got to have something when you get home that makes you feel like you’re actually home.

Yeah, it’s like when you go home from college and you got that dog you grew up with.

I feel like, with guys in the league these days, something happens in the offseason and people are constantly putting out their interpretation of what happened. What do you feel like happened this offseason?

Honestly, it was my first time going through that type of scenario, with free agency and stuff. So I enjoyed it, actually. You may not have the outcomes that you want, but when they go your way, it’s a treat, it’s fun.

I would say it went your way.

Yeah, hell yeah. I had a lot of fun with it, like I said. It’s a true blessing that it went in my favor.

Obviously, when you’re on a team, you carry them to the playoffs, you have the best season of your career and become an All-Star, and then you end up leaving town. It can be an acrimonious situation.

Exactly, exactly.

But it feels like it’s pretty cool?

Yeah. I mean, either you’re a part of the business, or you’re sitting back and you’re not a part of it. Every year, you have to gauge if you’re a part of the business, trades, contract extensions, or if you can be a guy who’s locked into a contract and not have to worry about it, can really sleep at night. That’s the main focus, I would say, just trying to see where you are, [and to] be honest with yourself. Are you a guy that’s gonna go through this in a way that you can’t control, or are you gonna be a guy who’s controlling the whole situation?

Do you feel like you’ve learned about being that guy?

Heck yeah, for sure. Because I’ve been through a few different scenarios to where it molded me into learning about the business side of this league.

What do you feel like you’ve learned? What are some things that you know to do now and know to pay attention to now that, a few years ago, if you had been in that same situation, you would’ve missed?

I would say just being a consistent professional. It can be easy to just be a professional half the time, and you may see half the results, but when you’re consistent, you can see your full results and you can pan out to be who you want to be year by year.

Is that the stuff you’re doing off the court, in terms of taking care of yourself?

Yeah, yeah. Coming into the league, you don’t know how to take care of your body and recover in the proper ways and things of that sort. The older you get, the guys you see doing it, the older guys you see doing it, taking care of their body 365 days a year, it’s contagious.

What are some of the things you’ve started doing? And how extreme are you? I know there are guys who are nuts.

Yeah, you can be sick with it. There’s a lot of the guys who are sick with it who have had a lot of success, because they just eat, sleep, shit basketball. I hired a full-time chef, so I wasn’t taking that time to order pizzas or eat Wild Wings or stuff like that. I travel somewhere, I’m gone for a long period, I have a chef. I think that elevated my game.

What kind of stuff are you eating? Is there a consistent plan, or is it just good food?

I’m part-time vegan. I try to be vegan when I can. But I dip and dive in everywhere. I’m not really a bad eater—I try to stay away from that as much as I can. I’m trying to get the most out of my calories.

Who are some of the guys that you feel like you’ve really looked at and taken things away from? Not just a good pro, but somebody who’s getting the best out of life as a guy in the league.

I would say [Rajon] Rondo. Rondo’s one of the guys that I’ve seen take care of his body in the offseason. I’ve seen him with the chefs and the meal preps, and I’ve just seen his work ethic. He’s definitely someone I’ve gotten a lot of jewels from.

I think one of the most interesting things about the NBA right now is you guys aren’t just basketball players. You can be whatever you want to be. You see guys who have entertainment companies, who are making clothes. Did that surprise you, coming in?

I give credit to a lot of the older guys that paved the way. The game’s elevated in so many different ways that allow us to take advantage of other platforms. Acting or whatever—you can branch off and do it because the game has grabbed a worldwide audience; everybody has their own fanbase.

Is there anything that you’ve been thinking about? Of course, clothes have been a big thing for you, but is there anything that you were like, “I want to do this now?”

Honestly, I kind of just winged it, and then a lot of doors have opened when it came to fashion. I always liked clothes. I always liked what I liked versus trying to compete or whatnot, and then these opportunities gravitated towards me.

New city, new team, I’m sure the first priority is just to get settled there. Brooklyn’s a great franchise, but they were in a different place when you went there than Golden State’s in right now. How do you feel going to a franchise like Golden State and entering that kind of environment?

I think you can only get better from it. When you’re going to a championship organization, being around Hall of Fame players and Hall of Fame coaches, it forces you to be that level, too. You are what you're around. I’m a believer in that. I think I have nothing but knowledge to learn from being around all those guys.

And it’s got to be nice knowing that you don’t have to be the guy who has everything on his back.

And also, it could easily be a thing where you go to a situation that’s worse than the situation you were in. That’s another part of being on the high side of free agency, since it could easily go the other way.

How does it feel these days with all the turnover, in terms of everyone moving around? As a player, you guys are close, you know guys across the league. Is there a different vibe?

Yeah, for sure. You come into the league with the people you come into the league with. Now I don’t know who’s on whose team. But I think it’s fun, man, I think it’s great for the league. You’ve got a lot of the top players in these big markets, and then these guys on the other teams with smaller markets—those opportunities elevate now. I think it’s super fun for the league.

Are there any other ways you feel like things have changed in just the few years you’ve been playing?

It’s becoming a more guard-oriented league, positionless basketball, to the point where guys with the strengths of a normal big wouldn’t stand out anymore like they would two, three, four years ago. That’s a big change. You got a lot of the same-size guys on the court, so you gotta figure out other ways to contribute.

Being a guy who realized, “I’ve got to give it all I can give it, I’ve got to be 100 percent committed,” do you think that’s the big divider between the guys who make the leap in year four or five versus the guys who slide into more of a lower-rotation role?

Yeah, I would say the more experience you get, the more you know what type of player you are. So you’re a younger guy coming into the league, you think you’re this and that, but really you’re just something more simplified.

What was that arc like for you?

Honestly, humbly, I feel like the same player. I just kind of got stronger, and I know where I want to be versus defenders making me go there on the offensive end. But I think my shot selection, the way I play, is kind of the same.

What other support structures do you have to keep you sane and help you get through the season off the court?

I have my brothers around. They help manage all my everyday [needs]—it makes my life easier when I’m just playing and training in season. I don’t have to worry about any of my main priorities in life. I’ve felt like a teenager my whole career; they’ve made it so easy.

How do you feel about the Bay Area? Have you spent much time out there?

No, not at all. I don’t have a house there, nothing. That’s where my brothers come in handy, man.

How much do you actually get to know the city? You weren’t in Brooklyn that long.

During the season, I’m strict—just straight routine mode. I told myself I’d be better at getting out and experiencing the cities and doing that, but it’s just like, I could be resting, or I could be doing something to put into my work. But you’ve got to take time off. There’s a mental toll—you’ve got to balance it out.

After a game, do you have a decompression ritual?

There’s a recovery routine I go by. I’m not superstitious, but when it comes to routine and rhythm, I try to do the same things after games. Come home, chill with my guys. May go to dinner, drink a glass or two of wine, talk shit, talk about the game. Play cards, often. I play cards after every game.

What kind of cards?

Spades. And then I’ve got my dogs, so it’s just a whole family vibe that we’ve got going.

Are you a wine guy?

Yeah, yeah. I’ve slowly developed into a wine guy. I’m learning as much as I can.

It seems like a lot of guys are into it.

A lot of the older guys, yeah.

How’d you get into it?

We just go to so many dinners and activities where wine’s necessary, so I just wanted to take advantage of that and learn it. Why not?

What are some of the wines that you feel like are your favorites?

Cabs.

So you like big wines.

Yeah. Cabs, pinots. I enjoy wine. Some people drink alcohol but don’t like it; they just enjoy the feeling. I enjoy wine.

Have you been seeking wines out, or is it more when you go to a place, you’re paying attention?

Yeah, I went to Napa, man. I got more knowledge of wine. I like good wine. I don’t really enjoy the cheap wine.

Then you’re playing in the right place next year.

I know. It’s a luxury.

PRODUCTION CREDITS:
Photography/Directed by Dyan Jong
Styled by Jon Tietz
Grooming by Daniele Piersons for Art Department using Ole Henriksen
Director of Photography: Andrew Yuyi Truong
Lighting: Kevin Burnstein
Assistant: Chet Hay

Originally Appeared on GQ