I am Coming To An Unbelievable Organisation – Russell Westbrook
NBA star Russell Westbrook, who recently joined the Los Angeles Lakers in the biggest move of a busy offseason, said he was “coming to an unbelievable organisation” he grew up supporting.
As soon as the trade was announced, questions sprung up about how the ball dominant guard would fit in alongside NBA legend LeBron James and forward Anthony Davis.
During his first press conference as a Laker, the nine-time All-Star from Long Beach who played college basketball at UCLA said he was still eager to learn.
“I will always stay true to who I am,” Westbrook said. “But with that said, I’ll also make sure that I am able to listen and be all ears because I am coming to an unbelievable organization and a team with players that I’m able to learn from.”
Westbrook called James one of the best players to ever play the game and said he wanted to make life easy for the four-time champion, who led the Lakers to a championship inside the bubble two seasons ago.
“I’m coming to a championship caliber team and my job is make sure that I’m able to make his game easy for him, and I’ll find ways to do that throughout the game,” Westbrook added.
“As it pertains to ball handling and all that, it really doesn’t matter. There are many different ways you can impact the game without having the ball in your hands.”
In the 2017 season, Westbrook became just the second player in league history to average a triple-double during the regular season en route to picking up league MVP donors. He has averaged a triple-double in four seasons and is the all-time leader in the category.
Last season with the Wizards, he averaged 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds and 11.7 assists per game.
Westbrook, who is entering his 14th season, said he is clear on his role and determined to help the franchise to hang its 18th championship banner at the end of next season.
“It’s my job to do what I’m supposed to do and make sure we have a chance to compete for a championship,” Westbrook concluded.
The NBA regular season begins on October 19.
Chidi Nwoke/Reuters.
