Russell Westbrook hasn’t had the best of times with the Los Angeles Lakers and when the franchise traded for Patrick Beverley, the first thought that came across the minds of many is what this would mean for Westbrook. Beverley and Russ had clashed numerous times in the past and it stemmed from the former delivering somewhat of a cheap shot to the latter in the 2013 playoffs.
It led to Westbrook suffering a slight tear on his right meniscus, which ruled him out for those playoffs, and that right knee would continue to bother him moving forward. Westbrook never seemed to forgive Beverley for it as the two went at each other on quite a few occasions and Russ even went as far as to diminish Bev as a player, as he once said Beverley tricks people into thinking he’s a good defender by just running around.
Russell Westbrook Says He Never Held A Grudge Against Patrick Beverley
While you might have expected some fireworks when these two came face to face at the Lakers facility, they have actually been on surprisingly good terms. Westbrook was present for Beverley’s introductory press conference where the two even shared a hug, a moment that went viral. Beverley even said recently that Westbrook is his best friend on the team and Russ was asked about the process that led to him putting all their troubled past behind him.
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“No process, man. I’m an easygoing guy. I don’t hold grudges against anybody. Life is too short. We’ve been blessed with too many opportunity platforms to walk around and hold grudges and things of that nature. I just continue to move forward.”
We will go by his word here, but it definitely seemed like he did hold a grudge at one point and we don’t blame him for that. Beverley’s reckless actions led to him getting sidelined, and anyone in his situation would be upset about it.
To his credit, Westbrook has been saying the right things, for the most part, as he looks towards having a much better second season with the Lakers. LeBron James believes that he will have a great comeback season and he certainly has had the right attitude so far. It remains to be seen if this pairing actually works on the court though, and if it doesn’t, then it does spell trouble for Russ, as the Lakers have plenty of alternatives at the guard spot.
