Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook, in his final media session of the season, said he “was never given a fair chance to be who I needed to be to help this team.” The former NBA MVP was acquired last offseason from the Washington Wizards in exchange for Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and a late first-round pick.
Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists on the season but struggled with efficiency in an up-and-down year. He shot 29.8 percent on 3.4 3-point attempts a game for a Lakers team (33-49) that had NBA title aspirations but failed to make the postseason. The Lakers finished 11th in the Western Conference.
The 33-year-old also questioned his relationship with now-fired coach Frank Vogel.
“I’m not sure what his issue was with me,” Westbrook told reporters.
The Lakers are Westbrook’s fourth NBA team he’s played for, after previous stints with the Wizards, Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder. The point guard won the league MVP in 2017 and is a nine-time All-Star.
(Photo: Christian Petersen / Getty Images)
