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Former Laker Refuses to Blame LeBron James for Russell Westbrook's Situation

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Angelo Guinhawa | Last updated Oct 12, 2025 9:23 PM ET

Russell Westbrook's body of work speaks for itself: he's a one-time MVP, nine-time All-Star, a member of the NBA 75th Anniversary Team and the all-time leader in triples-doubles with 203.

Considering what he has done in his career, and at just 36 years old, one would expect him to be gearing up to play in the 2025-26 NBA season.

However, that's not the case at all. Westbrook remains unsigned despite coming off a good year with the Denver Nuggets, during which he averaged 13.3 points, 4.9 rebounds, 6.1 assists and 1.4 steals. The Sacramento Kings and New York Knicks showed interest in the past couple of months, but a deal has yet to materialize for the star guard.

Are LeBron James, Lakers the Reason for Russell Westbrook's Problem?

As Westbrook continues to search for a new team, fans and experts alike can't help but look back at his time with the Los Angeles Lakers and how it started the downward spiral in his career.

Westbrook played for the Lakers from 2021 to 2023, and it's worth noting that L.A. struggled in his only full season with the team in 2021-22 and even missed the playoffs. At the time, Westbrook was largely blamed for the franchise's shortcomings. He was eventually traded during the 2022-23 campaign.

More recently, former NBA player Enes Freedom appeared to blame LeBron James and the Lakers for Westbrook's current predicament.

"I don't want to blame anyone. I don't want to blame LeBron or whatever, but it's hard to play for the Lakers, man. If you play with someone like LeBron, it's all about LeBron. If the season fails, then you need to have some kind of scapegoat," Freedom shared, per Sideline Sources.

Former Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) looks on during a game.© Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images

Danny Green Responds to LeBron James, Russell Westbrook Narrative

While it's true that Westbrook's reputation took a hit during his time with the Lakers, former NBA player Danny Green expressed his belief that it's well past time to blame James and the Purple and Gold for what's happening to him.

After all, following his time with the Lakers, Westbrook did suit up for the Los Angeles Clippers and the Nuggets.

While Green agreed with Freedom's take that there's always a scapegoat whenever a team doesn't succeed, it's just wrong to say that James and the Lakers are the reason that teams are not interested in Westbrook.

"He is not the reason that Russell Westbrook is not on a roster," Green shared. "Russ has played for a couple of years after that and other teams after that. But ever since Russ left OKC, his locker room aura has been looked at differently."

Green added that while Westbrook "could have been a scapegoat after he left L.A.," he pointed out that it wasn't really Westbrook's fault because it was simply a "bad fit."

"I disagree that it's not his fault that Russ is not on the team and that he's [James] never been a scapegoat on a team that he's, the times that he's lost with his teams," added Green, who played for the Lakers from 2019 to 2020. He also played alongside James in his rookie year in 2009-10.

Is LeBron at fault for Russ not being on a roster this season? @DGreen_14 Shares his thoughts on this matter

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— Inside The Green Room (@GreenRoomInside) October 11, 2025