Los Angeles Lakers LeBron James is not falling into the interview trap that reporters could interpret as him bashing his teammate Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook has been the talk of the sports world on Sunday after his epic fail doomed the Lakers against the Blazers. With 30 seconds left on the clock and the Lakers leading 102-101, Westbrook decided to take an ill-advised jumper that he botched.
Russ was probably angling for a 2-for-1 possession, but it was a risky move since the Lakers were leading and could have probably gotten a three-point advantage with a better shot. In the end, the Blazers were able to get the ball after his bad shot and Damian Lillard eventually put Portland in front 104-102. While LeBron James was able to tie it up, a Jerami Grant game-winner ended LA's hopes for their first win of the season.
Many fans blamed Westbrook's decision for the loss. However, James is not joining the finger-pointing and instead came to the defense of his teammate.
“I feel like this an interview of trying to set me up to say something… You guys can write about Russ and all the things you guys want to try to talk about Russ. I'm not up here to do that. I won't do it. I've said it over and over. It's not who I am,” James said.
Aside from LeBron James, head coach Darvin Ham talked about Russell Westbrook's shot as well. The new Lakers tactician is also not blaming the former NBA MVP for his shot attempt, but he wishes Russ could have used his explosiveness to attack the rim to score instead.
LeBron James is asked about Russell Westbrook’s shot during the postgame press conference.
His answer: pic.twitter.com/4J43K5XHnJ
— Rob Perez (@WorldWideWob) October 23, 2022
The Lakers dropped to 0-3 on the season following the loss, but to be fair to Westbrook, he's not the only one who had shortcomings in the contest. Hopefully for the Purple and Gold, they have learned their lesson and use it to turn things around in their next outing.
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