Russell Westbrook had a challenging time with the Los Angeles Lakers. He likes to control the ball as long as possible and contribute with assists more than shooting. But when there are already playmakers like LeBron James available in the team, the role of Westbrook gets confusing. That’s where things started to fall apart for Westbrook.
Later, the Lakers waited a long time to sign the perfect trade deal for Westbrook. In the last mid-season, they traded Russell to the Utah Jazz. But Westbrook later signed with the Los Angeles Clippers. Hence, he still plays for an LA team. But why was it so hard to play alongside and understand the playing style of Russell Westbrook? Perhaps Russell’s wife, Nina, cleared some of those doubts.
Podcast Interview With Wife Nina Perhaps Revealed Time As The Only Way To Understand Russell
Recently, in a podcast interview with The Relationship Chronicles With Nina Westbrook, Russell and Nina discussed their relationship. It is essential to mention Nina Westbrook is a licensed family and marriage therapist. She mentioned that it took her 16 years to understand Russell Westbrook as much as possible. In reply, Russell joked that in the next 16 years, she might learn something else about her husband. From the conversation between the Westbrook couple, it seems the Lakers and Russell might have needed a little more time.
They needed to adjust and adapt with each other. Moreover, Russell Westbrook told KTLA in an interview that with the Clippers, he feels like having a fresh start. Most importantly, Russell appreciates that the LA Clippers welcomed him with open arms. Moreover, he is happy that the team has got a pretty good fanbase. Adding to that, Westbrook is glad that he gets to spend time with his family and kids in Los Angeles. Moreover, Russell wants to start well next season to ensure that the Clippers get on the right foot from the start.
Why Russell Westbrook Had A Rocky Relationship With The Lakers?
Initially, the front office acquired Westbrook thinking about the superstar trio – LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook. The Lakers are famous for letting galaxies of stars be part of the same starting lineups for many years. Since the period of the Showtime Era with Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, the Lakers have been a haven for superstars. The most famous duo in the NBA was the Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant duo. They won three titles for the Lakers in the 2000s. However, the Kareem and Magic duo won five titles in the 1980s.
But Shaquille O’Neal moved to the Miami Heat after the infamous feud with Bryant. Albeit, Kobe Bryant went on to win five titles with the LA Lakers as well. It is not at all easy to keep superstars happy in the same team for a long time. These superstars always demand more time with the ball. That’s what caused the problem for Russell Westbrook with the James-Davis duo. Fans criticized Westbrook for not scoring enough when he was playing alongside James and Davis. But some NBA analysts like Charles Barkley mentioned Westbrook has his own style of playing the game.