LeBron and Westbrook rendezvous in Vegas, poke fun at trade critics online
The new era in Los Angeles is getting a head start.
LeBron James isn’t wasting any time welcoming Russell Westbrook to the Lakers, and it appears that the two are already working on their chemistry this offseason.
While there are still a couple of months until Westbrook suits up in purple and gold, basketball fans got a glimpse of the newest Laker in action over the weekend, when James shared a post of the two All-Stars getting in a workout Saturday morning.
James sarcastically captioned the photos, "I agree I don’t think this will work," and tagged Westbrook, who commented, "you already know what we on Brodie!!!"
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Later that evening, a standing ovation welcomed the duo when they rolled up to the Lakers' Summer League game in Las Vegas.
The four-time champion James has been vocal about the plethora of criticism of the blockbuster deal that went down last month between the Washington Wizards and Lakers to land Westbrook in his hometown.
Westbrook, a nine-time All-Star and league MVP in 2016-17, now joins 17-time All-Star James and eight-time All-Star Anthony Davis to form a seriously star-powered "Huge 3" that can rival any team in the league with a combined five MVPs, 30 All-NBA teams and 34 All-Star games.
It certainly seems like a great move for James and Westbrook to spend some time training together. And when it comes to the duo hanging out off the court? That's a great thing, too, if you ask Shannon Sharpe.
On Monday's "Undisputed," Sharpe said he loves seeing James and Westbrook training together, especially because he doesn't think they're a natural fit as teammates.
"These guys have really never played together outside of an All-Star game," Sharpe began. "[But] the thing we know about LeBron, he’s a diligent worker. … Why wait until we start training camp to start working with a guy like Russ? Let’s get a head start. I wouldn’t be surprised [if], say, in the next week, AD shows up and gets in on some of the workout action.
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Hear what Skip Bayless and Shannon Sharpe have to say about LeBron James and Russell Westbrook getting a head start on the 2021 season.
"LeBron James and Anthony Davis went to the higher-ups and said, ‘We would rather have Russ than the trade that you wanna make. We’ll make it work. We’ll figure it out. It’s more important to us to have a competitor,’" Sharpe continued. "… [And] the one thing we know about Russ, he’s as fierce a competitor as they have in the NBA, and LeBron says, ‘I wanna work with that. I’m willing to sacrifice my game … because I believe this is the piece that could help us get to another championship.'"
Sharpe's cohost, Skip Bayless, agreed that James inviting Westbrook to Vegas was a "brilliant early strategy." But Bayless is still certain that things won't pan out in the end.
"I commend him for this," Bayless began. "I compliment him to the highest degree. … He’s obviously an all-time great player, and Russ has that respect for him right now, but he needs … to [develop] a deeper personal connection because that’s the only way you’re gonna survive with this guy. … I’m here to tell you, LeBron, it will not work, but it’s a great try."
Will this roster move put the Lakers in position to better their finish from last season — a first-round playoff exit — and even bring L.A. back to championship glory?
It's far too early to say, but one thing's for sure: James will keep us entertained while things unfold.
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