“Don’t Need That”: D’Angelo Russell’s Response to Darvin Ham’s Belief Leaves NBA Twitter in Splits

Abhishek Dhariwal | 28/04/2024
“Don’t Need That”: D’Angelo Russell’s Response to Darvin Ham’s Belief Leaves NBA Twitter in Splits

The Los Angeles Lakers took Game 4 of the series after dropping the first three games to the Denver Nuggets. Facing elimination and another sweep at the hands of the Nuggets, the Lakers were able to rally back to keep the series and their playoff hopes alive. Lakers’ D’Angelo Russell, who had an abysmal Game 3, turned things around in Game 4. But when asked what his coach’s newfound belief in him was like, D-Lo’s response had Twitter in splits.

After the win over the Nuggets, Darvin Ham had some praise for his point guard, D’Angelo Russell. While Russell appreciated Ham’s confidence in him, his response may have indicated otherwise.

“I believe in myself more than anybody. I don’t need that, but I appreciate it.” 

 

Russell’s comments came when a reporter asked him how he felt knowing despite his Game 3 performance, Darvin Ham was still confident about his upcoming performance and still had faith in him while he was on the floor.

 

D’Angelo Russell might’ve had his worst ever playoff performance in Game 3 of the series. D-Lo went scoreless the entire game, finishing the night with just 3 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 block, and 1 steal, shooting 0-7 from the field and 0-6 from beyond the arc.

But after the humiliating performance and facing elimination in their most recent matchup with the Nuggets, Russell turned things around, finishing the game with 21 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, and 1 steal, as per StatMuse. Russell’s performance played a huge part in helping the Lakers save their season and handing the LA side their first win over the Nuggets since 2022.

D’Angelo Russell’s comments regarding the faith his head coach had in him ended up drawing some interesting and hilarious reactions from fans on X.

One fan tweeted, “Dlo said thanks but no thanks.”

 

Whereas another fan said, “Dlo don’t fw Ham, nobody does.”

 

Here are a few more reactions from fans on X.

 

 

 

While most reactions are fans mocking Darvin Ham, some also point out the subtle animosity between Ham and Russell, along with the rest of the Lakers’ roster. 

This has been a pattern that has emerged throughout the season as it is going in the playoffs as well. During Game 3 of the series, a video of Anthony Davis giving his head coach ‘death stares’ ended up causing quite a lot of speculation among fans.

If the Lakers end up losing to the Nuggets once again, not only will the front office shake up the roster in a big manner but it may also be safe to assume that the Lakers franchise might go looking for another man for the head coaching position.

Post Edited By: Sameen Nawathe
D'Angelo Russell

About the author

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Abhishek Dhariwal

A fan of Basketball since the late 2000s, Abhishek Dhaiwal has been covering the game for over five years. Having done his masters in Journalism and Mass Communication, Abhishek is an NBA sports journalist at The SportsRush. A fan of the San Antonio Spurs since the Tim Duncan era, Abhishek has an extensive knowledge of the sport and has covered more than 1500 articles. Having a firsthand experience of the sport, Abhishek has represented his city and state at a District and National level. And it is the same level of expertise he aims to bring while covering extensive topics both on and off the court of your favorite basketball stars.

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