Having been born at the start of Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls' second three-peat championship run, Los Angeles Lakers rookie D'Angelo Russell wasn't old enough to appreciate the greatness of No. 23.
The predominant basketball figure of his childhood was Kobe Bryant, who Russell now has the luxury of playing alongside in his first year in the league.
"He was my Michael Jordan," Russell said when asked how he viewed "The Black Mamba" as a youngster during an appearance on SiriusXM NBA Radio's "NBA Today."
"I didn't grow up watching Jordan. 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."
As excited as the No. 2 overall draft pick may be, Russell is well aware of the reputation Bryant has for being hard on first-year players. Even so, the opportunity he has in front of him to learn from one of the most dominant one-on-one players in NBA history is something he won't take for granted.
"He's tough," Russell said. "He's tough on rookies. You don't know how much he has left in this league, so to dissect every little bit that he has left to offer, I'm definitely a sponge towards it."
The former Ohio State Buckeye adds that the only interaction he's had with his new teammate up to this point is a 30-second phone conversation with Bryant mentioning how much he's looking forward to working with him.
The five-time NBA champion is entering the final year of his contract, with no definitive answer on whether he'll be playing after his 2015-16 campaign. The future of the Lakers is a mystery beyond that point, although it's clear team officials hold Russell in high regard, possibly grooming him as the new face of the franchise once Bryant calls it a career.
