Lonnie Walker reacted to the rumors of D'Angelo Russell being interested in playing for Lithuania, claiming he'll send a couple of texts to the Los Angeles Lakers guard and praising him for being an incredible teammate.
On Friday, news broke out in Lithuania about Los Angeles Lakers guard D'Angelo Russell's interest in playing for the Lithuanian national team.
Lonnie Walker IV
| Team: |
Zalgiris Kaunas |
| Position: | SG |
| Age: | 25 |
| Height: | 193 cm |
| Weight: | 93 kg |
| Birth place: | Pennsylvania, United States of America |
His former teammate and now Lithuanian club Zalgiris Kaunas guard Lonnie Walker IV reacted to the news, claiming he'll try to help influence Russell's decision.
"I'll make sure I shoot him a couple of texts [to let him know] that the atmosphere here [in Lithuania] is terrific over here. Maybe he'll get a little bit influenced by it," Walker smiled after his stellar EuroLeague performance against Panathinaikos.
"I'll ask him, and I'll see what he's talking about. You know, 'See, I heard some rumors and whatnot', and see where his head is with that. We'll see where it goes," Walker added.
When asked what the Lithuanian fans might expect from Russell, Walker had nothing but praise.
"Russell is one heck of a player. He's a well-respected point guard. He's great. He's one of my favorite teammates. Even when I had my Game 4 against the Warriors, and I didn't score a bucket, going into the 4th quarter, he called it out himself."
"He was one of the first players to say, 'Yo, this is your quarter.' Somehow, his energy and his manifestation got instilled into me, so a big shout out to D-Lo in that moment. He's a terrific player. He's a terrific teammate.
Even when things aren't going his way, he doesn't waver, he doesn't change his personality. He's always gonna be a great teammate, cheering for you, and it's always love at the end of the day. There's no selfish act and selfishness with D-Lo, and teammates like that. It's hard to come by," Walker continued.
The idea of Russell playing for Lithuania was presented to the President of Lithuania, Gitanas Nauseda, by the parents of Chicago Bulls first-round draftee Matas Buzelis, who had a visit at the Presidential Palace.
Russell's partner, Laura Ivaniukas, with whom he has two children, is of Lithuanian descent, which would open up a possible path to citizenship, which is required for playing for a country internationally.
"The President's institution is aware of the player and his connection to Lithuania, but formal citizenship procedures haven't been started yet," the President's representative said.
Full Walker's post-game reaction:
