The Los Angeles Clippers star Russell Westbrook faced his former team, the Los Angeles Lakers, on Wednesday and got the last laugh as the Clippers beat their city rivals by a score of 125–118.
Apart from the rivalries between the two franchises, there is a decent amount of tension between Russell and the Lakers. To be honest, he wasn’t treated fairly in his days with the Lakers, and despite the drawbacks, he produced quite a handsome number of plays, which went underappreciated by the fans.
Recently, in an interview, the Clippers point guard opened up about his feelings towards his former team and fans.
What did Russell Westbrook say?
The 34-year-old veteran faced many challenges and negative vibes while a player for the Lakers, and despite all these, he continued to dazzle his fans with every chance he got. Even though, coach Darvin Ham made him a bench warmer this season, he managed to stay afloat as long as he could.
After reminiscing about the old days, the 2017 MVP expressed his feelings in a press conference and said, “It was an experience. I’m past it now, in a new place, and looking forward.”
“It was an experience. I’m past it now, in a new place, and looking forward.”
Russell Westbrook on his Lakers tenure.
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— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) April 7, 2023
After winning the game against his former team, the all-star quarterback could criticize the decisions of the management and even diss the fans, but he chose the higher path. Even after, he was called ‘Westbrick’ on Wednesday at the Crypto.com Arena.
However, Westbrook replied to the crowd with a victory where he scored 14 points with 3 rebounds and 4 assists in 21 minutes. He even enjoyed the moment when he dunked a basket in front of his ex-teammate, Lebron James. But there was no disrespect or mockery; it was more of a challenge to compete at the next level.
The Clippers are the sixth seed in the Western Conference, just marginally above their city rivals with two games in hand. The odds are favoring the Clippers to qualify for the playoffs directly, while the Lakers might go through the play-in rounds.
