Lakers News: Russell Westbrook Developing Bond With LA

Lakers guard is building relationships with teammates outside of the court.

Russell Westbrook's tenure as a Los Angeles Laker has been a roller coaster. L.A. traded for the 2017 MVP in the summer of 2021, and many had championship aspirations for the purple and gold. That hasn't panned out, and many blame Westbrook for not fitting in with L.A.'s other two stars, LeBron James and Anthony Davis. 

It's not Westbrook's fault as much as it's the front office's fault, but nonetheless, Westbrook had a nightmarish first season as a Laker. 

He was constantly getting booed at home games by fans, and his relationship with his teammates was rocky. 

Going into this season, many thought there was no way Westbrook would remain a Laker, but we're here now, and it's been night and day for Westbrook thus far. He's accepted the sixth-man role and is thriving in it, and he seems to be building bonds with his current teammates, according to ESPN NBA insider Dave McMenamin. 

"Some of the guys on the Lakers, I'm talking about Thomas Bryant, Wenyen Gabriel, Juan Toscano-Anderson they're wearing the "honor the gift" clothing to a lot of games. Gabriel is head to toe, bucket hat, graphic tee, flare out pants all from Russell's brand." 

Honor the Gift is Russell Westbrook's clothing brand that he launched in 2017 in an attempt to take his love for fashion to the next level. 

Mcmenamin said that Toscano-Anderson and his girlfriend went to his store in Mid-City Los Angeles and purchased multiple items worth thousands of dollars. The NBA insider said this shows Westbrook's growth as a teammate from last season to this season. 

"This shows to me for a guy who had trouble connecting with the Lakers locker room last season for a variety of reasons mostly based on the frustrations from how he was fitting on the court. He has a true connection to this year's group, and through that connection, it's allowed him to have his influence on what this team looks like, the culture of the team." 

It's great to see that Westbrook is making the best out of his time in Los Angeles. There are multiple reports and rumors that Russell will get traded by the trade deadline, and he could easily not care about some place he possibly won't be in by next month. 

The 34-year-old is the ultimate professional and has had a solid second season in Los Angeles.