LeBron James and Russell Westbrook are two fierce competitors on the floor and close friends. They are both elite in one-on-one situations and have a lot of skill on both ends. So, it will be interesting to see who will win if the two play one-on-one.
Russell Westbrook was asked by comedian Kevin Hart who would come out victorious if these two megastars collided, and Westbrook was very clear in his answer.
“LeBron James is not going to win, and he’s a good friend of mine, I’m just letting you know, I’m winning,” Westbrook told Hart.
LeBron James and Russell Westbrook spent a year and a half with the Lakers, without winning a championship. Westbrook moved to the Utah Jazz and then the LA Clippers in February 2023.
The Lakers GM explained why the team traded Russell Westbrook
Bringing in Russell Westbrook made the LA Lakers a title contender in the West, while the team formed a Big Three with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. However, this move didn’t work out the way the franchise wanted, because Westbrook didn’t make a difference on both ends and never found his role on the team, either as a starter or a bench player.
Therefore, the Lakers decided to go in a different direction and move on from the former NBA MVP. Lakers GM Rob Pelinka explained the reason behind the decision to trade Westbrook.
“I think, when we made the Russell Westbrook trade, we did it with the hope of bringing a championship, with a big three. And obviously, we didn’t have that. But if something doesn’t work, as a general manager, it’s your job to fix it,” Rob Pelinka told Spectrum Sportsnet in February, via Basketball Forever.
For his part, LeBron James praised all the players who left the team in February, but did not elaborate on Westbrook’s time with the 17-time NBA champion.
“Russ, {Patrick Beverley), (Juan Tuscano-Anderson), (Damian Jones) and Thomas (Bryant). Those five guys. We all started the season together and trying to work to make some things happen and be the best we can be on the floor. So I salute those guys and their commitment to us trying to be as good as we can be on the floor,” LeBron James told the media in February, via Bleacher Report.
On the other hand, Westbrook has not had much to say about his time with the Lakers, and he seems unwilling to address his role with his former team.
“Uh, It was an experience. I’m past it now, in a new place, and looking forward,” he said to reporters, through Tomer Azarly of Clutchpoints.
Russell Westbrook played 130 games with the Lakers and averaged 17.4 ppg, 6.9 rpg and 7.2 apg, while shooting 43.4 percent from the field and 29.7 percent from three.
Westbrook will face his former team on Wednesday, November 1, when the Lakers host the Clippers at Crypto.com Arena.
