Even NFL teams are making fun of D’Angelo Russell now
A running joke on social media has extended all the way to the Atlanta Falcons poking fun at D’Angelo Russell on Sunday.
One of the best running jokes on Lakers and NBA Twitter in recent years has been centered around D’Angelo Russell getting shots up.
There isn’t a single origin point for the meme except that it came from the 2023 NBA playoffs. During the Western Conference Finals against the Nuggets, D’Lo stayed after the game multiple times to get shots up as he struggled during games, including after Game 1 and Game 3.
D’Angelo Russell and Max Christie came back out and got shots up following the Lakers’ Game 1 loss. pic.twitter.com/wWT167fBuX
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) May 17, 2023
@springtimemedia D’Angelo Russell that last one out here AFTER the game putting up shots.#Lakers
♬ original sound - Springtime Media
The jokes, though, started soon after, probably because D’Lo performed so poorly even after this. And while a lot of accounts and people made jokes, no one has carried the joke further than Twitter/X user C.J. Toledano.
D’Angelo Russell getting shots up after winning the In-Season championship pic.twitter.com/zvP2XMXNfS
— C.J. Toledano (@CJToledano) December 10, 2023
D’Angelo Russell getting shots up at Kendrick Lamar’s Pop Out tonight pic.twitter.com/biHHIHZUDJ
— C.J. Toledano (@CJToledano) June 20, 2024
D’Angelo Russell getting shots up after the Dodgers win the World Series pic.twitter.com/Pctz8xDrIF
— C.J. Toledano (@CJToledano) October 31, 2024
There have been occasions when professional accounts would chime in, too, like Slamball did when they returned as a league in the summer of 2023.
Thank you to D’Angelo Russell for coming through and getting shots up before SlamBall night two pic.twitter.com/P7bLhbpGGN
— SlamBall (@SlamBall) July 23, 2023
But the joke reached new heights on Sunday. Following the Atlanta Falcon’s win over the Cowboys, they took to Twitter and threw a random jab at D’Lo by photoshopping him into the back of a celebration photo.
Lakers D’Angelo Russell getting shots up after the Falcons win over the Cowboys pic.twitter.com/4JWAJxxaYG
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) November 3, 2024
Honestly, 10/10 work. It’s a bit of a niche tweet unless you’re involved in NBA Twitter. But if you are, it’s an absolutely hilarious tweet.
To his credit, D’Lo seemed to take it in stride, responding to the tweet on Monday afternoon.
Free Love I appreciate it. https://t.co/zOK5VVl7f0
— D'Angelo Russell (@Dloading) November 4, 2024
Does this mean the joke is going to take off to another level? I sure hope so! It’s such a simple and silly meme that I chuckle at each time.
Especially because D’Lo doesn’t seem to be taking offense to it, I hope more teams and leagues start making this joke.
You can follow Jacob on Twitter at @JacobRude.