LeBron James Reveals What Russell Westbrook Was Really Like as a Teammate During Sour Lakers Stint

In 2024, LeBron James posted a video from a Rams game on Instagram and signed off with "S/O the Brodie!" to his former Lakers teammate Russell Westbrook. It was a friendly gesture toward a player whose time in Los Angeles is remembered for what went wrong.

With Westbrook now retired, James has gone further, giving the version of that partnership he wants people to remember. On the latest episode of “Mind The Game,” James paid tribute to Westbrook. “Great dude… everyone raves about him, including myself,” James said. “Kudos to him and that jacket, that Hall of Fame jacket is next.” The 37-year-old guard decided to call it a career this year, and James said he is “super happy” with the decision.

He built the praise around competitiveness. James called Westbrook one of the most fierce competitors the game has ever seen, noting that Westbrook was a triple-double king, MVP, gold medalist, NBA Finals participant and scoring champion.

He said Westbrook never wanted to take a game off, and described their time together as a year and a half, maybe two years.

That is a different tone from how the partnership is usually discussed. When the two teamed up, fans worried about friction over shots and stats. The trio of Westbrook, James and Anthony Davis was expected to provide endless highlights and plenty of drama.

The results did not match the hype, but James' comments suggest the relationship behind the scenes was better than the record.

In Westbrook’s first season, the Lakers went 33-49 and finished as the 11th seed in the West, missing both the playoffs and the play-in tournament. Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists, while James put up 30.3 points, 8.2 rebounds and 6.2 assists.

The duo played 97 games together, posting a 46-51 record, before Westbrook was traded to the Utah Jazz in 2023. The "sour" label comes from those numbers, not from anything James said.

Before they were teammates, James used the word “assassin” for Westbrook in 2020. He called Westbrook “full-throttle” and said he “could not care less what anyone thinks about his game.” He also described Westbrook and James Harden as “great guys, more importantly.”

James also backed Westbrook during the difficult 2021-22 season. After a bounce-back win over Orlando, James said Westbrook “let last game go and was focused for this game.” That was after Westbrook had been disappointed over being benched against the Pacers. James has generally stayed away from public criticism of Westbrook, even when the team was struggling.

Westbrook’s own résumé gives James plenty to praise. He is a nine-time All-Star who spent his first 11 seasons with the Thunder, and he holds the record for the most seasons averaging a triple-double.