D’Angelo Russell receives warm welcome in return to Brooklyn

On Wednesday, D’Angelo Russell was back at Barclays Center for the first time since he was traded to the Warriors over the summer.

It feels like it’s been quite some time since D’Angelo Russell’s days with the Brooklyn Nets came to an end, but it hasn’t even been a full year.

As Nets fans remember, the organization’s representative at the 2019 NBA All-Star game was dealt to the Golden State Warriors in a sign-and-trade that delivered Kevin Durant to the Nets.

Since then, Russell and the Warriors have had a rough go. They entered Wednesday’s game with the worst record in the NBA (12-39). A major shift for Golden State, and a change for Russell, too, having helped the Nets finish sixth in the Eastern Conference last season.

In addition to their effort, the other thing that made Russell and the rest 2018-19 Nets unique was the group had fun while they went to work. And the fan base remains loyal Russell because of what he did — which is why they were thanking him at the start of Wednesday’s game:

The Nets organization, as a whole, hasn’t forgotten what D-Lo did in his time either: