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Former NBA All-Star D’Angelo Russell Signs With Shanghai Sharks In China
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- Former NBA All-Star D’Angelo Russell Signs With Shanghai Sharks In China
Mandatory Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
D'Angelo Russell's NBA career has taken a pretty big turn, as the former NBA All-Star has signed with the Shanghai Sharks of the Chinese Basketball Association for the 2026-27 season.
The Chinese Basketball Association announced the move after Chinese basketball reporter Zhang Dou initially reported that Russell had a deal in place with Shanghai. It will be the 30-year-old guard's first professional basketball experience outside the United States.
Russell became available after the Memphis Grizzlies waived him last week while trimming their roster ahead of training camp. ESPN's Shams Charania reported at the time that the move freed Russell to potentially find another chance before the season started.
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There had reportedly been a little hope on Russell's side that he could land with an NBA playoff contender. Instead, an NBA opportunity apparently did not materialize, so he will head to China, where he should have a chance to take on a much, much larger offensive role.
It is quite a turn for a player who was an NBA All-Star only seven years ago.
Russell entered the league as the number two overall pick in the 2015 NBA Draft, selected by the Los Angeles Lakers . After two seasons in Los Angeles , he was traded to the Brooklyn Nets and eventually enjoyed the best time of his career.
During the 2018-19 season, Russell averaged 21.1 points and 7.0 assists and earned his first All-Star selection as an injury replacement for Victor Oladipo . He helped the Nets reach the playoffs and appeared to be one of the NBA's best rising young guards.
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But his career has been considerably nomadic from there. Russell went from the Nets to the Golden State Warriors before being traded to the Minnesota Timberwolves . He eventually did return to the Lakers, had another stint with the Nets, and signed with the Dallas Mavericks .
Last season was particularly difficult. The Mavericks signed Russell hoping he could provide some point guard help, but his role quickly diminished. He averaged 10.2 points, 4.0 assists, and 2.3 rebounds across 26 appearances, with only three starts, shooting 40.5% from the field and 29.5% from three-point range.
The Mavericks eventually sent him to the Washington Wizards in the Anthony Davis blockbuster trade, but he wasn't required to report during the second half of the season.
After exercising his $5 million player option for 2026-27, Russell was moved again, this time from the Wizards to the Grizzlies as part of a massive six-team trade. His stay with the Grizzlies was pretty short, as they waived him before training camp.
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And now Russell will attempt to revive his career with Shanghai.
He leaves the NBA, at least for the time being, with pretty good career numbers. Across 655 regular-season games, Russell has averaged 17.0 points, 5.6 assists, and 3.3 rebounds.
At only 30 years old, a future NBA comeback should not be ruled out at any cost. A great season in China could potentially put Russell back on teams' radar, even some contenders, hopefully.
For now, however, the former number two pick and NBA All-Star is beginning an entirely new chapter in his career with the Shanghai Sharks.
