D'Angelo Russell is Officially Heading to the Shanghai Sharks

The internet's favorite basketball meme just became a reality. D'Angelo Russell is officially packing his bags for the Chinese Basketball Association.

Overnight, news broke that the veteran NBA guard has agreed to sign with the Shanghai Sharks for the upcoming season. According to Keith Smith, the CBA has already seemingly confirmed the move, taking one of the most recognizable remaining free agents completely off the board.

"According to Keith Smith, the news broke overnight and was seemingly confirmed by the Chinese Basketball Association."

Going from the Memphis Grizzlies to the Shanghai Sharks is the kind of career pivot that usually only happens in a 2K MyCareer save gone horribly wrong. Russell has always been a polarizing player, a guy who can drop 30 points on a Tuesday and then shoot his team out of a game on Thursday. Now, he gets to take that exact same shot selection to a league where he will have the ultimate green light.

The CBA has long been the premier destination for former NBA talent looking to put up video game numbers. Russell, with his smooth jumper and complete allergy to transition defense, is practically built in a lab to dominate the scoring column in Shanghai.

For the NBA, this quietly pauses the career of a veteran who just could not find a stable home. After finishing up his recent stint with the Grizzlies, the free-agent market clearly did not materialize the way he wanted. If you were holding out hope for odds on his next NBA landing spot, it is time to tear up those tickets.

Do not be surprised if we see viral clips of Russell hitting step-back threes over helpless CBA defenders by November. If he completely torches the league, maybe an NBA contender gets desperate enough to bring him back stateside for a playoff push. Until then, the Sharks just got themselves a new franchise point guard.