As soon as the words slipped out of Adam Silver's mouth, D'Angelo Russell's smile could hardly be contained by the walls of the Barclays Center.
Silver's declaration at the response of even bolder move by Los Angeles Lakers General Manager Mitch Kupchak sent the Ohio State star freshman to Hollywood Thursday night as the No. 2 pick of the 2015 NBA Draft, as the franchise elected to pass on Duke center Jahlil Okafor.
"The decision was made to take the best player available," Lakers head coach Byron Scott said in a press conference following the selection. "Watching him work out, watching tapes of him at Ohio State — we really felt like this kid was special."
Russell's been special ever since stepping foot on campus in Columbus, being the catalyst behind 24 Buckeye wins during the 2014-15 season while averaging 19.3 points, 5.7 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game.
"I can’t even talk right now," Russell told ESPN's Shannon Spake after hugging it out with Silver and posing for photos. "The journey I’ve been through, the stress, the pain that my family's been through, it’s tough. It’s a surreal moment that I can’t really explain."
It's any 19-year-old's dream to get to walk across the stage and shake hands with the NBA commissioner, but hardly any are truly aware of the hard work and long hours that await them once they take that jaunt down the steps and into the next part of their life.
"He still has to earn it. He still has to come here and work his butt off," Scott said. "He's going to have to work every day to get better and he's going to have to prove that to the veteran guys on this team. I have no doubt that he'll do that."
How does Russell fit in with the franchise that's hung 16 NBA Championship banners from the rafters of the Staples Center? On paper, pretty nicely.
At Ohio State, Russell had the ball his hands the majority of the time, mainly because Thad Matta didn't have a better option. In Los Angeles, one of the veterans Scott mentioned is used to doing that.
That man is five-time NBA champion, 17-time NBA All-Star and future Hall of Famer Kobe Bryant.
One of the best players in the game's history, Bryant's made a living out of being a relentless worker who always wants the ball. Russell, one of the game's bright young players, is fully aware and already knows what awaits him once he enters training camp with the man known as Black Mamba.
"I want him to take me under his wing and gain every piece of knowledge I can really gain," Russell told Spake.
Russell's basketball IQ is outstanding, evident by his spectacular vision and passion for making those around him better. He said multiple times this season he would rather go scoreless and his team win than score 25 points in a loss.
He'd often be seen around the Schottenstein Center watching game film on his iPad, and Thad Matta told stories about Russell waiting around in the team lounge for his coach to arrive for practice so he could figure out what the plan was for that day.
"We would sit and talk about everything under the sun and I think that’s the type of kid — he wanted to know what we were doing in recruiting, he wanted to know what was going on in college basketball and kids that have that hunger are usually great players," Matta said in April.
It's because of Russell's willingness to listen that he should be a match in the backcourt with Bryant, a guy who owned the league in the early 2000s and is revered as one of the greatest ever.
"My advice would be to stick close to Kobe as possible," Scott said. "Learn as much as you can from him but be willing to come in here and work your butt off."
He'll do that, another reason Scott said they were so sold on bypassing Okafor at No. 2 and jumping at the chance to take Russell.
Other options for the Lakers at point guard are Jordan Clarkson, Jeremy Lin and Ronnie Price — nothing to write home about. Plus, the fact that Los Angeles took Russell so high mean he's their guy at the spot.
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"I just think D'Angelo has a chance to be a superstar, that's my personal opinion," Scott said. "Talent-wise, he might be the best player in the draft."
Its hard to argue with Scott, who even though has had an up and down career as an NBA head coach won three titles with the Lakers as part of a 16-year pro career.
"The way he was able to direct people in 3-on-3, the last player I've seen do it that well was Earvin (Magic Johnson)," Scott said. "And that was just in 3-on-3 with guys who he didn't know."
Scott played with Johnson, so he would know. Either way, that's a pretty hefty statement for anyone to make.
But don't sleep on the kid from Louisville to take it in stride.
Russell made about as big of a splash as he could in his 35-game collegiate career, showing he could make adjustments on the fly but also take over when needed.
He'll undoubtedly have better shooters and post players — like former first round pick Julius Randle — than he did at Ohio State, which should only make his game blossom even further.
So how does the Associated Press All-American and Big Ten Freshman of the Year fit in with his new club? Let him tell you himself.
"That franchise isn't used to losing, and I'm a winning player," Russell said. "They got winning players, a winning coaching staff, everybody's used to winning around there. I feel like I fit in great."
With his final steps taken off the Barclays Center stage, D'Angelo Russell is officially on deck.
