Russell Westbrook is widely regarded as one of the best point guards in NBA history, and while his two-year run with the Los Angeles Lakers featured several record-setting performances, his relationship with thenâhead coach Darvin Ham was often portrayed as tense. Reports of heated exchanges fueled narratives questioning the nine-time All-Starâs professionalism during his time in purple and gold.
Darvin Ham Pushes Back on Narrative Surrounding Russell Westbrook
Like many relationships, the Lakers and Russell Westbrook felt mismatched from the start. Fit concerns alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis were immediately apparent, and as the experiment faltered, frustration steadily spilled onto the court.
Westbrookâs tenure also included tense moments with former head coach Frank Vogel, and despite embracing a sixth-man role upon Hamâs arrival in 2022, reports of heated locker-room exchanges persisted.
But Ham is pushing back on those negative narratives. Instead of confirming the perceived turmoil, the former Lakers coach insists Westbrook was one of the most professional players heâs ever coached.
“Russ is one of the most professional guys Iâve ever been around,” Ham said. “He keeps himself in shape – thatâs why heâs still playing. I think this is his 18th season at the position he plays. He stays at a very high level in terms of conditioning and constantly works on his craft.”
“All of his teammates — wherever he’s played– always have nothing but the utmost respect and love for him. As a coach, weâre constantly trying to figure out how to extract the best possible results from our group. But once you walk out of that locker room, you no longer control how those individual players mesh.”
Ham also addressed the Lakersâ lack of success with the star trio of Westbrook, James, and Davis, arguing that the team lacked the supporting infrastructure required to build a true contender.
“But in terms of Russ, man, you know, it was a difficult situation…,” he explained. “In order to get Russ on the Lakers, they had to part ways with Alex Caruso, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, a lot of other players they weren’t able to get because the money wasn’t there, because now you have three essentially supermax players on your roster.”
“Now you’ve got to go after lower level players who, God bless…but to be elite to win a championship in our league, you have to be elite and have an elite group. And a lot of times, the financial constrictions won’t allow you to do so.”
Ham has spoken highly of Westbrook in previous interviews as well, and his former teammate, Patrick Beverley, revealed that the ex-coach even wanted to apologize to the 2017 MVP.
Westbrook was eventually traded to the Utah Jazz in February 2023 but never suited up for them following a contract buyout, later signing with the Los Angeles Clippers. The 36-year-old spent last season with the Denver Nuggets and is now thriving with the Sacramento Kings, averaging 15 points, 7.1 rebounds, and 5.6 assists per game.
