LeBron James made it clear he’s not interested in letting the Lakers chapter define Russell Westbrook.
On the Mind the Game podcast, James spoke about his former teammate with real admiration as the conversation turned to Westbrook’s retirement. The tone was warm from the start, with Steve Nash opening, “Well, on a slightly sad note, but let’s turn this into a positive, the retirement of Russell Westbrook.”
James answered with a salute that left no doubt about how he views Westbrook’s career. “Man, well, first of all, we got to give him his flowers.
Cheers to the Brodie, man. One of the most fierce competitors that the game has ever seen, obviously.
Triple-double king, MVP, gold medalist, you know, been to the Finals…Scoring champ.”
Nash then pointed out just how rare Westbrook’s statistical company is, noting that he and James are the only two players ever with 25,000 points, 8,000 rebounds, 8,000 assists. He also called Westbrook a “tough, tough competitor,” an “incredible athlete,” and described the kind of explosive force that made him such a difficult matchup.
James said he felt that force long before they became teammates. He brought up Westbrook’s early days in the league and remembered facing him in the Finals, saying, “I caught him even young in the Finals appearance, too.
Like, my second Finals appearance was versus him, young him, young KD, young James. And I don’t remember which game it was, maybe Game 5, maybe, or Game 4, where he lit our ass up for, like, a 40-piece.
Like, it was just like bang, bang, bang, like just force after force after force. It’s like nonstop energy.”
He also emphasized something he believes gets overlooked: Westbrook’s approach to the grind. “And I think one of the things about Russ that doesn’t get talked about is, like, the guy never wanted to take a night off.
Wanted to play in every single game. Being a teammate of his for that year or two, I think it was a year and a half, maybe two years in L.A., never wanted to take a game off, never wanted to take a practice off.
Great dude.
“You can never, it’s not going to be one person that played with him in the locker room and be like, ‘Man, he wasn’t a good dude.’ Like, everyone raves about him, including myself.
And kudos to him. And that jacket, that Hall of Fame jacket, is next for him.
Super, super happy and happy I got to share the floor with him for the time that we had.”
That praise stands in sharp contrast to how the Lakers years are usually remembered. Westbrook played 130 games for Los Angeles and posted 17.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 7.0 assists while shooting 43.4% from the field and 29.7% from three.
The team went 67-64 in those games, but the hoped-for fit alongside James and Anthony Davis never truly clicked. Westbrook’s shooting struggles made things harder on offense, and injuries around the roster only added to the mess.
Still, the bigger picture is bigger than that one stop. Nash also highlighted how Westbrook evolved from a pure athlete into a high-level playmaker, saying he developed into someone “averaging 10 assists a night” and doing far more than just relying on speed and strength.
Westbrook retired after his 18th season, finishing with career averages of 20.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 8.0 assists, along with a league-leading 109 career triple-doubles. His final season came with the Sacramento Kings in 2025-26, where he averaged 15.2 points, 5.2 rebounds, and 6.7 assists while shooting 42.7% from the field and 33.8% from deep. He played in 64 games and started 50.
James’ message was simple: the Lakers experiment may have fallen short, but it doesn’t erase Westbrook’s place in the game. And with an MVP, four triple-double seasons, and a Hall of Fame future waiting, Westbrook’s legacy is already much larger than one frustrating stop.
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