Ahead of the Los Angeles Lakers ' 2022-23 campaign, Russell Westbrook felt betrayed by All-Star LeBron James amid trade rumors that LeBron was pushing for a reunion with Kyrie Irving . The only problem at the time was fitting Westbrook into the deal, which was a move that the Brooklyn Nets weren't interested in making at the time. Ahead of James' 23rd NBA season in 2025-26 , he's still chasing his second championship with the Lakers.

James was interested in swapping Westbrook, his Lakers teammate at the time, for Irving, which got back to Russell. It's what led to an awkward noninteraction between James and Westbrook at a Summer League game in July, per Yaron Weitzman.

“The scene became the talk of the night. Side-by-side images contrasting how LeBron and Westbrook had intera

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