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Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James made his feelings known about Russell Westbrook through an Instagram post that has since gone viral. James posted a photo of himself with Westbrook from the recent Lakers-Wizards matchup.
“We know y’all HATE & don’t APPRECIATE but we just laugh it off!” James noted on Instagram. “But 1 thing you will do is RESPECT IT/US🤝 #GoodkidsMadCity #HiHaters👋🏾”
Westbrook responded to the post by showing love to James as well. James has been a vocal supporter of Westbrook throughout his career.
“Straight like that brodie!!! 🏁🏁,” Westbrook commented.
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Westbrook Is Under Contract With the Wizards Through 2023
Before the speculation begins, Westbrook still has plenty of years remaining on his current deal and is under contract with the Wizards through the 2022-23 season. James has a history of praising players or using the NBA All-Star game as a way to recruit future free agents, but this appears to be simply the Lakers superstar showing love to another player he respects. James defended Westbrook in 2019 after he had a verbal altercation with a fan during a Jazz-Thunder game calling the star, “one of the most loyal people I know.”
“Obviously, Russ is a very passionate guy but Russ is married with three kids, a set of twins,” James said at the time, per USA Today. “No matter if you like him or love him or the way that he plays the game, the guy is one of the most loyal people that I know; one of the most down to earth guys that I know. That guy just took it too far on the other end.”
LeBron Remains Listed as ‘Out Indefinitely’
As for James, he remains sidelined with an ankle injury he sustained in March against the Hawks. The Lakers have been vague about his return timeline as head coach Frank Vogel has repeatedly stated James is “out indefinitely.” James has been posting cryptic workout videos that seem to indicate he is close to returning to the court.
“He’ll tell me when he’s ready,” Vogel noted, per Lakers Nation. “He and the medical team will tell me when he’s ready. They’re having conversations about it each day. They’re monitoring his progression each day seeing where he’s at. When he’s ready to play, he’ll play. I don’t have anything for you other than that.”
The Lakers have struggled in his absence but are just starting to get healthy with the return of Anthony Davis. After the Lakers’ recent loss to the Wizards, Davis emphasized the team cannot wait until James’ returns to increase their sense of urgency.
“We have 10 games left so if we come out and play like we did in that fourth quarter where the ball was moving, guys were shooting their shots and making plays then the game is a lot easier for us than scoring 20 points a quarter and not playing with no paces or no effort or no energy then like other teams, it’s playing in a desperate situation,” Davis explained, via Lakers Nation. “We control our own destiny so we have to start playing with a sense of desperation even though we are in the playoffs as of right now. But we’re not that far off from being in the play-in game. So we got to play with a sense of desperation as well.”
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