“Get the f-ck off my team,” Gilbert Arenas had famously declared after D’Angelo Russell’s underwhelming performance against the Denver Nuggets in the 2023 Western Conference Finals. Arenas didn’t stop there, either; he doubled down on his criticism, openly admitting he’s disappointed because he actually loves Russell’s game. While Russell didn’t respond publicly back then, Arenas’ son Alijah has now dropped a surprising revelation. Despite the critique from his father, D-Lo gave him some advice.
Recently, both Gilbert Arenas’ son, Alijah, and D-Lo had a chat on The Backyard Podcast. Alijah revealed to Forbes that Russell told him to “keep grinding,” which caught him a little off guard. “The way I hold myself, to represent myself. He said he really admired that,” Arenas recounted, adding how much he respects Russell’s style, confidence, and overall swag on the court. But Russell’s words didn’t stop there.
Arenas’ son recalled Russell telling him, “Go for everybody in the league. Don’t hold yourself back from anything.” Arenas took this advice to heart, determined to keep improving and pushing his own limits. Russell, too, values these conversations. “I did give them advice… within all of this, it’s about to get crazy for these dudes,” D-Lo said, offering a glimpse into his own leadership style.
Despite his infamous outburst, Gilbert Arenas does not always criticize D-Lo. When Russell scored a Lakers career-high 44 points against the Bucks, Arenas was one of his biggest cheerleaders. Arenas shared an iconic clip from The Wire series to express his first thoughts after the win. He tweeted the reel on his X account where Idris Elba’s character Stringer Bell delivers the famous dialogue, “Are you ready to put the work in?” He also captioned the tweet, “What LeBron told D’Lo before the Bucks game.”
However, it may seem that Gilbert Arenas hates or always criticizes D-Lo, but that’s not the case. Just as D-Lo gave advice to Arenas’ son, he also wanted to do the same, just in a different style.
Gilbert Arenas wanted D-Lo to improve his game
After a rough showing against the Denver Nuggets in 2023, D’Angelo Russell found himself in the crosshairs of Gilbert Arenas. “Get the f-ck off my team,” Arenas bluntly said on Gil’s Arena podcast, blasting Russell for his lackluster performance. He didn’t hold back, criticizing the Lakers guard for spending so much energy shooting after the game rather than in it. “They wanna shoot shots after the game…you should have shot them during the game,” Arenas added on the podcast. But Arenas isn’t just about tearing players down.
A few weeks later, he opened up about his tough-love approach on VladTV. He shared that he actually wanted Russell to succeed with the Lakers, even feeling disappointed when they traded him in the past. “I’m not mad at the person; I’m just mad at…that fourth quarter this series player,” Arenas explained, admitting he admired Russell’s earlier contributions but found his recent play lacking.
Arenas also had some constructive advice. His message? Bring that practice energy into the actual game. “I don’t need you taking 200 shots after a game…take 200 during the game,” he advised, pushing Russell to be more aggressive on the court. “I’d rather you go 0 for 15,” he emphasized, urging him to take risks rather than hold back.
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