D'Angelo Russell is leaving the NBA for China. The Shanghai Sharks announced on Wednesday that the former All-Star guard has signed with the club for the 2026-27 CBA season, ending an 11-year NBA career that began when the Los Angeles Lakers made him the second overall pick of the 2015 draft.
Russell, 30, became a free agent after the Memphis Grizzlies waived him in the final days of September, a roster-trimming move that followed his July trade from the Washington Wizards to Memphis in a six-team, 11-player deal. He exercised his player option for the 2026-27 season before that summer trade. Last season Russell averaged 10.2 points, 4.0 assists and 2.3 rebounds in 26 games for the Dallas Mavericks, including three starts, after joining the Mavericks to replace Kyrie Irving while the guard recovered from an Achilles tear.
The Sharks are the reigning CBA champions, having ended a 25-year title drought last season, and are best known as Yao Ming's club from 1997 to 2022, before the eight-time NBA All-Star was drafted by the Houston Rockets.
