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Reading: Trevor Ariza Reveals How Russell Westbrook Helped Recruit Him To The Lakers
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Home > NBA News & Analysis > Trevor Ariza Reveals How Russell Westbrook Helped Recruit Him To The Lakers

Trevor Ariza Reveals How Russell Westbrook Helped Recruit Him To The Lakers

Nico Martinez
Aug 8, 2021
3 Min Read
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DraftKings Nation

After an extremely disappointing and underwhelming finish in the 2021 playoffs, Lakers President Rob Pelinka went to work.

Over the course of a few days, they made a number of big-time moves, including the acquisitions of Russell Westbrook, Carmelo Anthony, Wayne Ellington, and more.

And while Pelinka and the rest of the Lakers brass deserve much of the credit for the team’s recent moves, Russell Westbrook has apparently played a part in it as well.

According to Trevor Ariza, Russ helped bring him to L.A. in a phone call just minutes after he had been traded there.

(via Harrison Faigen of Silver Screen & Roll)

A few hours before the Westbrook trade became official — but, notably, more than a week after the deal was agreed to — Ariza was officially announced as a Laker, and during his first Zoom call with the media on Friday, he admitted that Westbrook was the first Lakers player to try and get him to join up. And he started early.

“It’s funny because Russ got traded, and 20 minutes after he was traded he was on my phone,” Ariza said. “So I don’t know if he was telling me he was happy to be home, or he wanted to go to dinner or whatever, I just know that he called my phone like ‘yo, what are you doing? Where are you at? I need to talk to you, I need to see you.’”

Through 13 years in the league, Westbrook has only made the Finals once. Years ago, with Durant and James Harden by his side, he and his team won the West only to lose in the Finals to LeBron James and his superpowered Heat.

And now, years later, Russ is helping recruit players to a Lakers team being led by the same LeBron.

It’s crazy how life can come full circle like that. 

But, hopefully, Westbrook can find some success with his new team. For a guy with so much love and passion for the game, he definitely deserves a Ring.

It will be interesting to see how he and the Lakers are able to mesh.

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TAGGED:Russell Westbrook
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ByNico Martinez
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Nico Martinez is a veteran staff writer for Fadeaway World from Brooklyn, New York. He joined Fadeaway World in 2016 and is currently residing in Columbia, South Carolina. Nico holds a degree in Sports Management from Columbia International University where he built a strong foundation in the inner workings of sports media and management. Nico's contributions have significantly enhanced the credibility and depth of Fadeaway World's content, earning him recognition across the sports journalism community. His work has been discussed in prestigious publications like Sports Illustrated. A dedicated follower of LeBron James, Nico often leads coverage on news related to the basketball star. With nearly a decade of experience in sports journalism, Nico consistently provides comprehensive and timely basketball news, engaging a wide audience of basketball enthusiasts.Nico's most desired player to interview, past or present, is Kevin Durant. He is particularly keen on asking Durant if he has any regrets about his career, especially concerning his departure from the Oklahoma City Thunder, and why he engages so much with fans on social media. 
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