D'Angelo Russell might've just made rookie life with Kobe Bryant a bit harder on himself.
SB Nation had a group of top NBA rookies impersonate some of the league's biggest stars like LeBron James, James Harden and of course, Kobe Bryant. They got the Lakers' rookie point guard and No. 2 overall pick to do his best Kobe, which involved plenty of herky-jerky turning and a fadeaway jumper.
This is classic Kobe: Holding the ball for what feels like a fortnight and lollipopping a jump shot.
Looking out for the rookie, however, Lakers fans are definitely watching this and screaming "WHAT ARE YOU DOING, YOUNG MAN? DO YOU WANT TO DIE?"
The 2015-16 Los Angeles Lakers locker room is already shaping up to be the most awkward group of individuals ever assembled.
Although, maybe Russell earned a bit of Kobe cachet on Monday when he said, "[Kobe] was my Michael Jordan."
"I didn't grow up watching Jordan," Russell said on SiriusXM's NBA Today. "I didn't grow up watching Magic Johnson, Byron Scott, Larry Bird -- I didn't get to watch those dudes. When I was growing up, it was Kobe, Allen Iverson, Tracy McGrady -- those dudes. So to get the opportunity to play with him for his last years is the highlight of my life."
Now that's how you respect your elders. This, however, is how you spark a rivalry with one of your top opponents for the foreseeable future:
Hilariously accurate. Stay loose, D'Angelo. Los Angeles needs you.
CORRECTION: A previous version of this post said Russell was the No. 3 overall 2015 NBA Draft pick. He was No. 2.
Also on HuffPost:
