Few NBA experiments have unraveled quite like Russell Westbrook’s two seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers. What began with championship expectations eventually gave way to lineup changes, constant scrutiny and questions that seemed to grow louder with every loss.

Years later, someone who watched it unfold from inside the locker room believes the public never saw the biggest reason it all fell apart.

“It was hard,” Beverley said on Fred VanVleet’s Unguarded podcast. “You have a first-year coach in Darvin Ham. You got me starting. This is my first time seeing Russ since people said I injured him in OKC. Russ is on the bench. AR (Austin Reaves) is starting, Bron is starting, and AD is starting. All of a sudden, we get f—-g Lonnie Walker IV starting? This s– don’t work. This doesn’t even feel right on the basketball court. Then we get Dennis Schroder, who should’ve been coming off the bench. He’s starting. Cause he’s Darvin Ham’s guy. The only person who was taking the punches with everything was Russ.

“Our superstars couldn’t, no disrespect, they couldn’t get out of their own way and sacrifice for what’s best for the team. Russ all the players, he was the last MVP.”

Beverley’s perspective carries extra weight because he wasn’t always one of Westbrook’s biggest supporters. Their rivalry began with the infamous 2013 playoff collision that tore Westbrook’s meniscus, but by the time they became Lakers teammates nearly a decade later, the two had rebuilt that relationship. Beverley would later describe Westbrook as a “lifetime brother.”

The irony, according to Beverley’s account, is that Westbrook arrived in Los Angeles as part of a plan everyone believed in. LeBron James and Anthony Davis personally recruited the former MVP in the summer of 2021, while general manager Rob Pelinka said the Lakers wanted to “dimensionalize the roster with a combination of versatility.” The vision was to ease James’ playmaking burden and create a faster offense. Instead, the experiment quickly exposed spacing issues, constant role changes and a roster that never quite fit together.

Injuries only made matters worse. James, Davis and Westbrook appeared together in just 39 games across two seasons, finishing 19-20 as a trio. As losses mounted, frustration shifted toward Westbrook. Fans mocked him with the nickname “Westbrick,” and the criticism became so personal that he admitted he no longer wanted his children hearing the chants inside Crypto.com Arena.

“I don’t want to even bring my kids to that game, because I don’t want my kids to hear their dad getting called names,” Westbrook said in March 2022. “‘Westbrick’ to me is now shaming my name. That man has children, that man has a family, that’s a family name.”

Westbrook later admitted the period took a significant emotional toll. After being traded to the Clippers in 2023, he reflected, “Once I got traded, immediately, to be honest, from that moment, mentally, I was in a better place. For me, personally, it’s been a rollercoaster, mentally and emotionally. Not just for me, but for my family.”

While the criticism grew louder, trade speculation never really stopped. The Lakers repeatedly explored deals involving Westbrook, including multiple pursuits of Kyrie Irving. Around the same time, Westbrook also had heated in-game disagreements with assistant coach Phil Handy and later with Darvin Ham, illustrating how tense the season had become behind the scenes.

LeBron James’ trade demands and Russell Westbrook’s reported falling out

The Lakers’ pursuit of Irving only reinforced the belief that Westbrook’s time in Los Angeles was running out. After Irving requested a trade in February 2023, the Lakers immediately pursued a deal centered around Westbrook. When Brooklyn instead traded Irving to Dallas, James admitted he was “definitely disappointed” that Los Angeles couldn’t land “such a talent.”

When Irving was traded to Dallas, the 4x NBA champion stated that he was “disappointed” the Lakers didn’t land his former running mate. Then reports emerged that Russell Westbrook was reportedly frustrated with LeBron James’ “fake” behavior during their time together. “I hate that fake sh*t, I just can’t do it,” Westbrook allegedly told a teammate, according to NBA reporter Yaron Weitzman.

Those reports were never publicly confirmed by either player. However, they added to the perception that the partnership between James and Westbrook had fractured long before the Lakers eventually traded Westbrook at the 2023 deadline.

Looking back, Beverley believes the criticism never matched the reality inside the locker room. In his view, a roster built around shifting roles, coaching adjustments and unrealistic expectations ultimately left Westbrook carrying the blame for an experiment that had far deeper structural flaws than one player could fix.