Former Laker Claims He Knows 'How LeBron Feels' Thanks to Superstar Treatment on New Team

The journeyman is playing for his fourth team since his Los Angeles tenure ended in 2022-23.

Jan 30, 2023; Brooklyn, New York, USA; Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley (21) reacts after receiving a technical foul during the first quarter against the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images / Brad Penner-Imagn Images

Longtime former All-Defensive Team point guard Patrick Beverley — who was also a very short-time Los Angeles Lakers shooting guard because Darvin Ham loved small ball — is already relishing his tenure with Israeli club Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv. And he hasn't played an official game with them yet! The journeyman is suiting up for his fourth team since his Los Angeles tenure ended with a trade midway through the 2022-23 season (he was traded to what would have been a fifth, the Orlando Magic, but negotiated a buyout to sign with his hometown Chicago Bulls).

During the first episode of his "The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone" show on Barstool Sports, the 6-foot-2 vet broke down his experiences thus far (hat tip to Basket News for the transcription) and noted that he felt like he was being given the kind of superstar treatment afforded by his one-time Lakers teammate, 20-time All-NBA forward LeBron James.

"I know how LeBron feels. I leave games, and the guys that I play against want pictures. Coaches that I play against want pictures," Beverley revealed. "The fans that I go against, they boo me, I leave out and it's 30 kids outside, and they all want pictures. And this is every country we go to."

During an exhibition match with FMP SoccerBet Belgrade (which, despite the name, is in fact a basketball team), Beverley notched 13 points, passed for five dimes, and logged three steals across a scant 19 minutes of action.

"Today was a friendly game in Belgrade, and I think I took 50 pictures today," he said about the game. "A friendly game! Not a huge EuroCup game. What I'm doing is appreciated but to have kids and to have other players and have other coaches from competing teams go, 'Hey Pat, I'm sorry bro, but I need this f---ing pick.' Say less. It's been a vibe. I know how LeBron feels now, seriously."

Beverley, 36, is positively reveling in his opportunity to play abroad once again. Upon being ruled academically ineligible to compete for the Arkansas Razorbacks during the 2008-09 season (when he would have been a junior), Beverley headed overseas, suiting up for Ukrainian club BC Dnipro. The Lakers drafted him with the No. 42 pick in 2009, , trading his draft rights to the Miami Heat the next day. Miami cut Beverley ahead of training camp, however, and so he kept playing internationally, first with Greek club Olympiacos Piraeus, then with Russian team Spartak St. Petersburg. After winning EuroCup MVP, Beverley was finally earning much-deserved NBA eyeballs. He eventually departed Spartak midway through the 2012-13 season after inking a long-term deal with the Houston Rockets.

"I wake up, I get phone calls, I get text messages, 'Pat, you OK?' I'm waking up in paradise every day," Beverley said of his current experience with Hapoel Shlomo Tel Aviv. "They're giving me private beaches to go to after practice. I sit on a beach for 6-7 hours a day. I literally see the sun at the top of its peak and I see it setting. I'm eating watermelons and Ceasar salads all day. I go swimming, I stay at this huge-ass mansion/villa. Probably one of the best places I've ever played basketball, no cap."

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