It must be said that NBA arenas are not arranged the same way this season as they are in typical seasons. With only a limited number of fans at most arenas, the league has put up more signage and rearranged things in the stands to help cope with their absence. Minnesota Timberwolves guard D'Angelo Russell has played only 38 games this season, so you can almost talk yourself into him not being used to the changes as a cause for Tuesday's incident.
Almost is the key word there, because really, there is no good explanation for the video you are about to watch. During a timeout, Russell tried to sit on a DraftKings sign on the baseline. The sign, obviously, was not a chair, and Russell therefore took a rather embarrassing fall.
D-Lo thought the sign was a chair 😂 pic.twitter.com/JqTExMcY0D
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) May 12, 2021
Russell was quickly helped up by a few team staffers, and he seemed to take the moment in stride, but this is hardly a flattering highlight. It's almost certainly going to end up on Shaqtin' a Fool, at the very least.
Fortunately, Russell can fall back on one of the more successful stretches of his career. The Timberwolves defeated the Pistons on Tuesday, giving them a 10-9 record since he returned from injury. For a Minnesota team that picked No. 1 overall last season, that's impressive, and it's easier to laugh off moments like this when you're winning. The Timberwolves are, so this is little more than a funny viral moment in an increasingly optimistic season.
