October 20th - Today, The Ringer reporter Yaron Weitzman published a lengthy article detailing the conflict between Russell Westbrook and LeBron James during their time with the Lakers. During a team meeting following a losing streak (2022-23 season), general manager Rob Pelinka arranged for Will Smith, fresh off the Oscar slapping incident, to address the team. Upon learning of Smith's arrival, LeBron and Davis were the first to leave the meeting, expressing displeasure or perhaps avoiding the topic. Westbrook also attempted to leave, but was dissuaded by Patrick Beverley, who implied that LeBron and Davis, as champions, had special privileges. This angered Westbrook, who felt that as former MVPs, he shouldn't be treated differently. After mediation from the coach, LeBron and Davis eventually returned. During Smith's speech and the Q&A session, LeBron was unusually active, peppering the meeting with questions, extending the originally scheduled 30-minute session to nearly an hour. Westbrook was extremely disgusted by LeBron's behavior. He shook his head and rolled his eyes on the spot, and later told his teammates: "I hate that kind of fake shit, I just can't do it." At present, many media outlets such as Fullcourtpass and NBACentral have forwarded the report.
October 20th - Today, The Ringer reporter Yaron Weitzman published a lengthy article describing the conflict between Russell Westbrook and LeBron James during their time with the Lakers:
During a team meeting following the 2022-23 losing streak, general manager Rob Pelinka arranged for Will Smith, fresh off the Oscar slapping incident, to give a team speech.
Upon learning of Smith's arrival, LeBron and Davis were the first to leave the meeting, expressing displeasure or perhaps avoiding the topic.
Westbrook also attempted to leave, but was dissuaded by Patrick Beverley, who implied that LeBron and Davis, as champions, had special privileges.
This sparked discontent among Westbrook, who felt that as a former MVP, he shouldn't be treated differently.
After coordination with the coach, LeBron and Davis eventually returned.
During Smith's speech and the Q&A session, LeBron was unusually active, peppering the meeting with questions, extending the originally scheduled 30-minute session to nearly an hour.
Westbrook was extremely disgusted by LeBron's behavior, shaking his head and rolling his eyes on the spot. He later told his teammates:
"I hate that fake shit. I just can't do it."
Fullcourtpass, NBACentral, and other media outlets have reposted the report.
