The Russell Westbrook experiment in Los Angeles with the Lakers was a dramatic failure. This is not news for anyone. What is news is the fact that Westbrook’s relationship with LeBron James wasn’t as smooth as it may have seemed.
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According to Yaron Weitzman’s new book, A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers, Westbrook grew tired of LeBron’s “fakeness.” This was no truer than when actor Will Smith visited the team in 2022.
Apparently, LeBron did not care to meet the famed actor and it was made clear that LeBron and Anthony Davis could do what they wanted. This was all while the rest of the team had to follow the rules.
“Then [Smith] opened the floor for questions. LeBron was first. He had a question, he said. Smith answered. Then LeBron had another question. And another after that and another after that and another after that. On and on he went, stretching what was supposed to be a 30-minute session into nearly an hour,” Weitzman wrote.
“’The same guy who was trying to leave is now quoting back movie lines and going through the guy’s whole life story,’ one attendee recalled thinking. Seated in the third row, picking at a bowl of fruit, Westbrook watched in disbelief, shaking his head and rolling his eyes every time LeBron spoke.
“I hate that fake sh*t, Westbrook said to a teammate afterward, as the Lakers gathered for a team photo. I just can’t do it.”
In the public eye, LeBron always had Westbrook’s back, but reportedly behind the scenes, this wasn’t the case. Ultimately, the two players have moved on from each other and they both look forward to having a productive 2025-26 NBA season.
