D'Angelo Russell and Taurean Prince's families hit the beach as their wives share stories of kids having fun

D'Angelo Russell and Taurean Prince are gearing up for a new NBA season. Both players will be suiting up for the Los Angeles Lakers. Prince joined Darvin Ham's team earlier this summer, signing a one-year $4.5 million deal with the franchise. Russell and Prince were teammates during their tenures with the Minnesota Timberwolves.

As such, their off-court friendship has been quite illustrious in Los Angeles. On October 22, Russell's wife, Laura Ivaniukas, and Prince's wife, Hanah Usman, shared some videos of their children enjoying a day at the beach.

Taurean Prince's wife shared a photo to Instagram

D'Angelo Russell's wife also shared a photo to Instagram

When NBA players move to a new team, their families usually follow them to the new city. It's a difficult period for everyone involved. Children must start new schools, and players and their wives leave a friendship circle behind.

However, with Prince and Usman now in Los Angeles, Russell and Ivaniukas will have a friendship circle from their time in Minnesota.

Russell and Prince will be expected to play a big role for the LA Lakers in the upcoming season. Lakers fans expect both players to reside in their starting unit after impressive preseason performances.

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Darvin Ham expects a big season from D'Angelo Russell

D'Angelo Russell re-joined the Los Angeles Lakers in February 2022. The veteran guard immediately impacted his new team, courtesy of his elite scoring and playmaking ability. However, Russell struggled in the Western Conference Finals series against the Denver Nuggets.

During a recent media availability, Lakers head coach Darvin Ham revealed his expectations for Russell in the upcoming season.

Ham noted how the veteran guard had been working hard all summer and would be ready to prove himself as a lead guard for the Purple and Gold.

"I’ve been saying it since the summertime, I feel like he’s gonna have a big, big year," Ham said. "... He had a tough series against Denver but it doesn’t represent who he is as a basketball player ... He has that chip on his shoulder where he wants to help us win and he wants to be there in the mix of it playing good basketball and that’s what the preseason has shown thus far."

Russell is entering the first year of a new two-year $36 million deal. He will earn $17.3 million in the upcoming season. The second year of the deal is a player option worth $18.6 million.

Russell will be hoping to help lead his team to the 2024 championship, so he can negotiate his next contract from a position of strength with a NBA championship ring on his hand.