Bryon Russell

Bryon Russell - Unknown. It doesn't appear as though he plays with the Los Angeles Lightning in the summer any more either.

Bryon Russell - Russell runs basketball camps, and played last summer for IBL team the L.A. Lightning, averaging 10 points and 5 boards. It is not clear whether he will do so again this summer.

[...] Despite retiring from regular playing in 2007, Vinson still dusts off the cobwebs every summer to play in the IBL. The IBL is a very minor league with no coverage here, other than the exploits of one team; the Los Angeles Lightning. Last summer [the IBL plays in the summer], the Lightning churned out a veritably stacked roster of people you've heard of; Lamond Murray Jamal Sampson, Bryon Russell, Toby Bailey, Juaquin Hawkins, Adam Parada, California State senator Tony Strickland, and Darrick Martin. Some of those, such as Vinson, were retired players (or politicians) just looking to scratch their playing itch; some (Parada, Sampson, Murray) were still playing professional careers and just wanted a little summer gig. Either way, the team was stacked, and the Lightning breezed to the IBL title.

This year's Lightning aren't quite as stacked, but some of those names remain. Russell, Vinson, Hawkins and Strickland are still there, and the 6-0 Lightning are still winning. In their last game, Vinson totalled 33 points and 8 assists; Russell had 23 points, 9 rebounds and 5 assists; Hawkins had 10 points and 8 rebounds; Strickland had a three trillion. The Lightning won by 15.

- Bryon Russell

This time last year, rumours abounded that Bryon Russell wanted to make a comeback. And he did, kind of. Russell was a member of the Los Angeles Lightning IBL team in the summer, a stacked team of former NBA talents that I have talked about a few times before. He averaged 11.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.1 assists, and was an IBl All-Star; however, the 11.8 points per game was only the 10th best scoring average on the team. This should give you an idea about the standard of the IBL, its scoring-friendly nature, and also the depth of the Lightning's roster. Lamond Murray, Fred Vinson, Toby Bailey, Adam Parada, Derrick Murray and Juaquin Hawkins all scored higher than Russell, as did three other guys I've never heard of.

If Russell wanted this gig to kick start his way back into the higher echelons of the professional game, it didn't, because he signed no further contracts after it. But he did make the news again; after being singled out for humiliation in Michael Jordan's Hall of Fame entry speech - can you be singled out if you're merely one of many? - Russell took advantage of the people who asked him for his reaction to the comments by publicly challenging Jordan to a game of 1 on 1, for old times sake. The owner of the D-League's Utah Flash, Brandt Andersen, then took advantage of that new publicity by offering to host the event, while simultaneously offering to put up $100,000 for the winner's charity of choice. Of course, the 46 year old Jordan didn't want to take part, and made no intimation that he was going to play Russell, particularly not at the event that the Flash then planned for it anyway. But that massive detail went unforgivably overlooked, and then this inevitable failure happened. Not a good showing for all parties involved.

It is not clear whether Russell, or indeed any of the other compelling protagonists, have signed up to play another year of IBL ball with the Lightning. But when I know, you'll know.

- 45th pick: Bryon Russell (Utah)

- Russell last played in the NBA in the 2005-06 season. The Nuggets re-signed him for the year, but he appeared in only game for them, and was later traded as salary filler in the multi-player Earl Watson (etc) trade. Seattle promptly waived him.

Russell has not stopped playing elsewhere, though, splitting his time in the last four years between the ABA, the WCBL and the IBL. If there's a minor league that's not worth a damn, then Bryon Russell will be sure to play in it. This past summer he was with the Los Angeles Lightning of the IBL on a stacked team of ex-NBA residents that also included Juaquin Hawkins, Derrick Murray, Fred Vinson, Jamal Sampson, Adam Parada, Toby Bailey and Lamond Murray. As insignificant minor leagues go, that's some depth right there.

When he's not waiting for the new IBL season to roll around, Russell spends his time tweeting about the Lakers and participating in manipulative pranks.