“He Grew Up a Lakers Fan”: LeBron James’ Former Teammate Empathizes with Russell Westbrook’s Difficult Time with the Lakers

The Los Angeles Lakers are currently fighting against the Warriors to reach the Conference Finals. For a team that started the season with a 2-10 record, this is an accomplishment beyond accomplishments. But in their chase for another playoffs run, the Lakers organization may have impacted one of their stars adversely. LeBron James’ former teammate JR Smith talked to Bally Sports about the difficulties Russell Westbrook likely faced before joining the Lakers.

JR Smith, who formerly played for the Cleveland Cavaliers, is no stranger to receiving hate from fans and teammates. Back in 2018, during game 1 of the NBA Finals, Smith made a blunder that effectively led to a loss.

Later, he faced a lot of heat for his blunder. Fans were enraged, memes were made, and JR Smith’s entire career was undermined by that one moment. Naturally, having faced such brutal pressure, he definitely understands what Westbrook went through with the Lakers.

JR Smith empathizes with Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook’s time with the Lakers was as frustrating as it gets. Not only did one of the most celebrated athletes fall from grace, but the disrespect that followed eventually affected even his family.

It was almost like Westbrook was blamed for every issue the Lakers faced. All their failures, their shortcomings were pinned to his chest. JR Smith, who knows a thing or two about such hate, recently spoke to Bally Sports and talked about Westbrook and his time with the Lakers.

Smith claimed that he understood everything the 2017 MVP faced in the past two years. Smith pointed out the pressure of your team, your closest people, and fans turning against you.

In the interview, Smith said: “I understand what he was going through. Given the passion that he has for the game and then seeing people around who are supposed to be the closest to you, your teammates and organization kind of flip on you, and then the fanbase. He’s an LA Guy, He’s from LA. And I am pretty sure he grew up a Lakers fan. So, to have that type of experience with your home team, it’s your home city is really tough.”

Clippers value Westbrook

After the entire Lakers saga, the Clippers have really adopted Westbrook without any disdain. Tye Lue, his players, and the Clippers fan base have shown how they value Westbrook’s defensive and playmaking abilities. It will be interesting to see how he evolves next year and if he can bring the kind of season he had with the Wizards back.