"You gotta be crazy": D'Angelo Russell provides explanation to his viral pre-shot smile meme 3-pointer against Warriors

D’Angelo Russell is in the middle of a difficult season for the LA Lakers. Despite the extreme hype during the initial part of the season, the Lakers have failed to emerge as legitimate title contenders and are ninth in the Western Conference. This led to trade rumors surrounding D’Angelo Russell, despite him having had a successful season individually.

Russell has given fans a range of highlights to celebrate. That, most notably includes the hilarious response he gave in the win over the Golden State Warriors when his face had already lit up, even before taking the shot. The hilarious meme-worthy moment had led to a range of reactions online, with fans trolling him all over.

Regardless, during a recent appearance on "The Backyards podcast," Russell explained exactly what was on his mind when he took the shot:

“I saw that after the match, they were like, you gotta be crazy to be smiling during a time like that or something like that. Yeah, I ran with it. But no, I was more or less like, ‘ohh, wow, I got the ball I about to pull up, I knew like, I about to pull up. It was what it is.”

Hence, it is fair to say that Russell was not smiling because he knew he was going to make the shot. Rather, he was simply excited at pulling up and ended up with an insane expression.

D’Angelo Russell seen as trade fodder despite successful season

A range of fans have consistently asked questions, with several trade rumors being apparent throughout. Perhaps the most notable among them were those revolving around D’Angelo Russell.

With LeBron James and Anthony Davis considered to be untouchable for a variety of reasons, Russell was seen as the most obvious resource that the Lakers could use to get their hands on that elusive third superstar.

Of course, others will argue that it is none other than D’Angelo Russell, who is currently averaging 17.8 points, 6.2 assists, and 2.9 rebounds per game. Hence, as the numbers suggest, Russell has had his highlights despite largely being linked to a trade.

The player also claimed that he was happy about surviving the trade rumors, and is now focussed on making the most out of the second half of the season.

Of course, the Lakers need a quick and considerable revival to finish closer to what fans expect of them. Despite some serious talent, the team has to date looked considerably weaker than some of the more obvious title contenders, despite being the first-ever champions of the NBA’s In-Season tournament just a few months ago.