After the Los Angeles Lakers reportedly hired Rasheed Wallace as an assistant coach, an old video of the ex-NBA big man talking about Russell Westbrook resurfaced.

In the said video during the 2020-21 season, Wallace appeared on “The Jump” and heaped a ton of praise on Westbrook, calling him the “best player” in the league at the time. Of course Richard Jefferson, Kendrick Perkins and Rachel Nichols were all shocked, as the one-time champion really thought the then Washington Wizards playmaker was better than Stephen Curry, Kevin Durant, Giannis Antetokounmpo or even LeBron James.

“Right now I gotta say, Russ is the best player in the NBA right now,” Wallace said at the time, via Lakers Daily.

Now that is certainly some bold take from Rasheed Wallace. Russell Westbrook did average a triple-double in 2020-21, but that is on a struggling Wizards franchise that was nowhere near from competing at the highest level.

However, it goes to show that Wallace has a ton of confidence on Westbrook, which might be what the explosive guard needs if he wants to thrive in LA.

Unfortunately for him, Wallace has actually not been hired by the Lakers … at least not yet. He is a candidate to be in Darvin Ham's coaching staff, but they are still in discussion about it. Should LA choose to take him, though, Westbrook could find himself with a big supporter on the coaching staff.