It’s been a season to forget for Los Angeles Lakers guard Russell Westbrook. His struggles playing alongside LeBron James has been magnified by the national media. It’s easy to forget that he spent last season in a uniform of the Washington Wizards.
But it came all back to memory Saturday in Westbrook’s first return to Capital One Arena as his Lakers took on the Wizards. Midway through the first quarter, Washington serenaded Westbrook with a video tribute for his time with the team.
Here’s the full look at the video via the team’s Twitter account.
He’s remembered more for being an Oklahoma City Thunder. However last season, Westbrook averaged a triple-double on the season with 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and a NBA-leading 11.7 assists per game.
Playing alongside Bradley Beal, Westbrook helped lead the Wizards to their first playoff appearance since the 2017-18 season. However, he requested a trade to the Lakers last summer. Eventually Wizards owner Ted Leonsis granted his request.
Officially, the Wizards acquired Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell, Aaron Holiday, Spencer Dinwiddie, and the draft rights of Isaiah Todd in a five-team deal.
Neither Washington or L.A. have benefited much from the trade. Both teams are at least 10 games under .500 entering Saturday’s game. The Wizards have already moved Harrell, Holiday and Dinwiddie in trades this season.
Meanwhile, Westbrook has been unable to jell with James and Anthony Davis. He is averaging subpar numbers compared to his standard with 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game. The Lakers dangled Westbrook in trade talks before last month’s deadline before ultimately deciding to finish the season with him.
He’s been mocked by some teams, ridiculed by others. Yet on Saturday, the Wizards took an opposite approach to show Russell Westbrook their appreciation for him.
