Russell Westbrook’s short-lived stint with the Los Angeles Lakers was a disaster on the court, but behind the scenes, it was apparently far worse. According to excerpts from Yaron Weitzman’s book A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers, Westbrook reportedly grew tired of what he called LeBron James’ ‘fake’ and ‘Hollywood’ behavior during their time as teammates.
The tension, according to the book, reached its peak after several incidents that exposed what Westbrook viewed as LeBron’s inauthentic side.
“I hate that fake s**t,” Westbrook reportedly told a teammate after one particular team event.
“I just can’t do it.”
The quote came after an awkward Lakers meeting where Will Smith was scheduled to speak to the team as part of the organization’s “Genius Series.”
Before Smith arrived, both LeBron and Anthony Davis abruptly walked out of the room. But minutes later, when Smith entered, the two stars returned acting overly friendly, smiling, joking, and dominating the conversation. LeBron, who had seemed uninterested before, started quoting movie lines and asking endless questions, turning what was supposed to be a 30-minute Q&A into a nearly hour-long session.
Westbrook sat back, shaking his head in disbelief.
“The same guy who just walked out is now acting like he’s best friends with Will Smith,” one witness said.
Westbrook muttered to a teammate afterward, “I hate that fake sh*t. I just can’t do it.”
That moment reportedly solidified what Westbrook had already been feeling, that LeBron’s carefully curated public persona didn’t match who he really was behind the scenes.
It wasn’t just about the team event. Westbrook had noticed other moments that rubbed him the wrong way. LeBron would often tell reporters to “let Russ be Russ,” yet according to team insiders, he didn’t actually support Westbrook privately.
Behind the scenes, LeBron was quietly pushing for a reunion with Kyrie Irving, a move that would have required trading Westbrook. Publicly, he denied it. Privately, Westbrook knew the truth.
“People say ‘Let Russ be Russ,’ but nobody really means it,” Westbrook told reporters after the season.
Westbrook also grew frustrated with what he saw as LeBron’s pattern of exaggerating or staging moments for the cameras. He reportedly mocked how LeBron once claimed The Godfather was his favorite movie but couldn’t name a single line when asked.
Then there was the time LeBron carried The Autobiography of Malcolm X into interviews yet seemed unable to discuss its content. Another moment came when LeBron famously said he predicted Kobe Bryant would score 70 points before his legendary 81-point game, a story that became a viral meme.
These small moments added up for Westbrook, who values authenticity above all else.
“LeBron’s all Hollywood,” one source said.
“Russ doesn’t fake it for anyone. That’s where they clashed.”
Their relationship continued to deteriorate through the 2022–23 season. Westbrook knew LeBron wanted him gone. By the time trade rumors for Kyrie Irving surfaced, the two stars were no longer even pretending to be close. During a Lakers Summer League game that July, LeBron and Westbrook sat on opposite sides of the court, never exchanging so much as a glance.
For a duo that once dreamed of bringing a title back to Los Angeles together, their partnership ended with silence and, according to this new report, a deep loss of respect. For Westbrook, it wasn’t the missed shots or the media criticism that broke him. It was realizing that, in his words, everything around LeBron was just fake.
