Russell Westbrook has earned a place among the top players in the league since his debut in 2008 with the Oklahoma City Thunder. The nine-time All-NBA star has proven to be a talented player, as reflected by his astonishing career achievements.
Westbrook has played for four NBA teams before joining the LA Clippers, although he had a rather disastrous stint with the LA Lakers, his former team. However, his recent visit to the Lakers for a matchup did not end well, starting from the pre-game introductions.
Westbrook faces hostile reception at Crypto.com
Russell Westbrook, the Clippers’ point guard, was on the roster to face his former team, the Lakers, in a much-anticipated matchup. Although Westbrook had a rough time with the Lakers, he might have expected a much better reception than the boos he received, as the Lakers’ faithful showed no love lost for the star. The video of the incident was revealed by Legion Hoops on X with the caption “Lakers fans booed Russell Westbrook during his pre-game introduction tonight.”
The Lakers’ fans made sure to assess Russell Westbrook’s performance on the court during his stint with them, which they found him wanting in fast play, fast decision-making, and shooting ability. The fans severely criticized Russell’s efforts during his time with the team he signed with from 2021 to 2023, and they clearly blamed him for the Lakers’ poor performances at that time, which surprisingly led to his departure. Meanwhile, Russell Westbrook’s averages of 17.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 7.2 assists during his stay with the Lakers suggest that the star had reasonable outputs. However, the truth remains that he couldn’t quite fit into the roster.
Why did Russell Westbrook leave Lakers?
Russell Westbrook was traded to the Lakers from the Washington Wizards before the start of the 2021-2022 campaign. Despite the high hopes of Russell being a formidable member of the super team involving LeBron James and Anthony Davis, it all ended in jeopardy. Russell Westbrook was reportedly having a difficult time with the Lakers’ coach Darvin Ham and was also accused of being toxic towards Lakers’ stars LeBron James and Anthony Davis.
Russell became even more disappointed when his name was involved in a failed Kyrie Irving trade to the Lakers, a situation that LeBron James openly expressed his displeasure about. Westbrook distanced himself from the team and didn’t even participate in the Lakers’ celebration when LeBron broke the all-time scoring record.
The reported last straw that initiated Russell Westbrook’s trade to the Jazz was due to his argument with Coach Darvin Ham. Russell ended up in the Clippers, the rival of the Lakers, after Jazz cut him from his $47 million deal, as they couldn’t have him in their roster. While there are great hopes that Westbrook will enjoy his stint with the Clippers, as he has already averaged an astonishing 13.0 points, 7.0 rebounds, and 6.8 assists so far, the arrival of an experienced and former teammate in James Harden might give him the opportunity to resurrect his career.
