The retirement of Russell Westbrook has led to more former players discussing his legendary career. Westbrook is a former MVP who peaked during his outstanding tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder. NBA fans still viewed Westbrook as an All-Star with the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards, but his career fell apart during his short stint with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Fellow retired player JR Smith recently spoke about Westbrook and said the Lakers did things to hurt his career:
“I understand what [Westbrook] was going through. Seeing people around who are supposed to be ‘the closest to you,’ your teammates and organization kind of flip on you, and then the fanbase… it’s really tough.”
Smith compared Westbrook’s situation to his own moments of fans and teammates questioning him. One thing that Smith and Westbrook share in common is they’ve each lost the confidence of LeBron James. Smith had the viral moment of James being livid when he forgot to call a timeout in the closing moments of an NBA Finals game.
Westbrook never had a tense moment like that with LeBron, but he did get the blame for the Lakers’ struggles. James reportedly influenced the team to trade for Westbrook to form a “big three” with him and Anthony Davis. Unfortunately, a lack of chemistry and the team failing to win together made Westbrook the most hated player by fans.
Who Is JR Smith Most Calling Out?
LeBron certainly stands out as the biggest name to cross paths with both players and have them feel his wrath in various ways. However, Smith also called out the Lakers fan base for souring on Westbrook too quickly. Guards like Dennis Schroder and Alex Caruso felt more love from the Lakers crowds than Westbrook ever did during his time there.
Smith referenced the common NBA scenario of fans and teammates turning on someone for regressing at the worst time. James Harden has dealt with this during the playoffs with extra criticism for his lackluster performances.
Westbrook experienced an unusual scenario of his peers and fans getting sick of him during the regular season. Smith equally blamed players and fans for alienating Westbrook to warrant him bouncing around the league with the Los Angeles Clippers and Denver Nuggets afterwards.
Russell Westbrook Exposed Real Lakers Problem
The most logical way to summarize the Westbrook and Lakers tenure is that some teams just have more pressure associated with them. Lakers fans are similar to the New York Yankees and Dallas Cowboys where things become big stories faster.
Westbrook also started to regress right when he joined the Lakers after averaging a triple double in his previous season teaming with Bradley Beal on the Wizards. The fan base reacted normally for the Lakers when he couldn’t play up to the expectations.
Smith’s situation was far different from Westbrook, but both experienced the difficult side of the NBA. Every Lakers player has dealt or will deal with the same thing of that pressure coming through. Westbrook only lasted a few more seasons before retiring this summer after his final year with the Sacramento Kings.
JR Smith Says Lakers Players & Fans Betrayed Russell Westbrook