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D'Angelo Russell of the LA Lakers welcomed his daughter, Mila, with girlfriend Laura Ivaniukas in August. Russell and Ivaniukas have an older son named Riley born in September 2022. The Lakers guard became emotional after his partner shared photos of their daughter online.
In a post on Instagram, Ivaniukas showed off several photos of baby Mila in an adorable white dress. She was surrounded by flowers and wore a cute headband. There was also a snap of Mila holding a tiny white teddy bear as she slept.
"Our little angel girl," Ivaniukas wrote.
The photoshoot was conducted by Tricia McClelland of McClelland Photography in Oakville, Ontario, Canada. Laura Ivaniukas hails from Toronto, where she was born and raised by her Lithuanian parents.
D'Angelo Russell, who is currently busy with the LA Lakers' preseason, reacted to his girlfriend's post by commenting with a crying face emoji, possibly expressing tears of joy at becoming a first-time girl dad.
"😢," Russell wrote in the comments.
The Lakers star also re-shared the post on his Instagram stories, while showing more love to her daughter with a couple of rose emojis.
Russell and Ivaniukas have been reportedly dating since 2000, and already have two kids together. She has been very supportive of his career with the Lakers, which has been up and down. He returned to the Lakers this offseason after opting into his $18.7 million player option.
It's a big season for Russell, who will be a free agent next summer. He will be the Lakers' starting point guard this season under first-year coach JJ Redick.
D'Angelo Russell comments on being a father
Speaking to Andscape's Marc J. Spears back in April, D'Angelo Russell opened up about being a father. Russell thought his life was complete before his son Riley was born two years ago. He even discovered that he prefers staying home with his family rather than going out with his friends.
"Before becoming a parent, life seemed complete," Russell said. "But it was the arrival of Riley that filled every corner of our hearts with a love so deep. It reshaped our world, continuously teaching us patience, resilience, and the true meaning of unconditional love. A new purpose in life, beyond basketball.
The former All-Star added:
"Before I had a kid, I always felt like I needed to be a part of my friends’ motion and see what they had going on and this and that. And I always realized I was a homebody. So, once I had a kid it allowed me to just settle into being a homebody and focus in on myself and my foundation, my family and the life after basketball and all these different entities."
Russell is entering his 10th season in the NBA, and his upcoming campaign will not only be crucial for himself but also for the championship-chasing Lakers.
