Patrick Beverley says Russell Westbrook still had plenty left in the tank when he stepped away from the NBA, and he points the finger at the league’s media ecosystem - and the Lakers - for helping push the former MVP toward retirement.
Westbrook announced his retirement after reportedly turning down offers from multiple teams, choosing to leave the game on his own terms. Beverley, who shared a locker room with him on the Lakers, spent an episode of his podcast arguing that the criticism around Westbrook never let up and eventually shaped how teams viewed him.
“I felt like he had a lot of game left. I feel like he played really well last season.
I think the media killed his game. I’m going to be honest.
I think the media is so strong that it allowed fans to call him names. It allowed fans to have opinions about his game, which also forced team owners, GMs, and presidents to look at him a certain way.”
Beverley also drew a direct comparison to other guards around the league, saying Westbrook belonged on a roster without question.
“When you talk about guards that’s in the NBA and it’s right and it’s no disrespect to to guys that’s on current teams but when you talk about you see Lonnie Walker you talk about Lonnie Walker and I it’s no disrespect to Lonnie Walker he’s a good friend of mine but if he can make an NBA team Russell Westbrook can make an NBA team without a doubt,” Beverley said.
He kept coming back to the same idea: Westbrook, in his view, was still a player worth trusting, even if the outside noise said otherwise.
“You’re talking about 20 and 20 cuz heavy on the dubs heavy on the couses straight up shout out to Russell Westbrook, gone too early vibe I’m going to be honest, you feel me? Legend. Legend.”
For Beverley, the Lakers were the turning point. He said the switch in perception really started when Westbrook landed in Los Angeles.
“And I think it all turned when, you know, I said this before and I’m going to be honest. I think it all turned when he went to the Lakers and left. I think he had a dark cloud over his head.”
He has made that argument before, saying teams began questioning Westbrook’s fit and leadership once the Lakers chapter went sideways.
“Teams didn’t know if he was a team player. Teams didn’t know if he was a good locker room guy.
I mean, he was a teammate of mine. One of my favorite teammates.
You talking about sacrificing the MVP?”
Beverley even joked about the oddity of their roles at the time, with Westbrook coming off the bench while he started.
“Mind you, me and him got beef. They started me, got him coming off the bench. I can laugh about it now cuz it’s partly entertaining, but they got Russ coming off the bench and got Pat Bev starting in front of him.”
Still, Beverley said Westbrook handled everything the right way behind the scenes.
“So like, and he still kept it core. He still was professional.
He still like came in and did everything right. Every team dinner, every on time, everything stretched with the team.
He did everything correct, man. He did everything correct,” the former Lakers player further added.
By the end of the podcast segment, Beverley framed the retirement as something that hit him hard, even if he understood the moment had arrived.
“Bittersweet to me cuz I’mma keep it a buck. Bittersweet to me.
Shout out to Russ. Shout out to the triple-double king.
Like, giving flowers is a must. So, salute to you, bro.”
He then made sure to separate Westbrook’s on-court legacy from everything else he has done away from the game.
“Obviously, I’m just mentioning all the on-the-court stuff, right? I’m not even mentioning, ‘Hey yo, Pat.
Yeah, go to my car lot if you need a car.’ ‘Hey yo, Pat.
Yeah. ‘Honor the gift’, your clothing line, if you want to come down here in LA and get you some clothes for you and the homies.’
Like, I ain’t even mentioning none of that.”
“I ain’t even mentioning giving back to communities, making LA great again. I’m not even mentioning none of that.
I’m just strictly on basketball. But with that and basketball, shout out to you, Russ.
You deserve it all, bro. I hate to see you go so early.
I know you got a ton of game left in you. A ton of game.
Love always, gang. Love, love, love,” Beverley concluded.
Westbrook’s career ended with averages of 20.9 points, 8.0 assists, and 6.9 rebounds on 43.8% shooting. The Sacramento Kings and the Washington Wizards were among the teams that wanted to sign the 37-year-old, but he passed on those chances and retired instead.
Even after his decision, the conversation around Westbrook has hardly stopped. Skip Bayless continues to say he doesn’t deserve Hall of Fame recognition, while Draymond Green has blamed fans for the way the story unfolded. Beverley, though, put the blame elsewhere: on the media and on the Lakers’ chapter that changed everything.
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