Patrick Beverley almost spoke his Los Angeles Lakers trade into existence, talking about wanting to play for L.A. — and with LeBron James — even before leaving Minnesota.
As the 2022 NBA Playoffs started and Beverley found himself with lots of free time, the guard made a few appearances on ESPN to talk basketball. He sparked controversy with his comments on Chris Paul and his Phoenix Suns, saying NBA stars aren’t scared of playing last season’s No. 1 seed in the Western Conference.
But also, Beverley quickly pointed to James when asked about which superstar he would like to play with. In the premiere episode of his new basketball show, “The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone,” the 34-year-old guard offered an insight into his relationship with James, praising the four-time NBA champion for being a kind person and teammate:
“We’ve been knowing each other for a very, very, very long time. It’s not like he makes you feel small or anything. He’s always giving advice, open, funny. But to be around that every day, I think sometimes people take that stuff for granted. At my age, I’ve always been a fan of giving the next person their flowers while they’re alive and not when they’re retired and dead and gone.”
Beverley also had a few kind words for James’ family, emphasizing the support the Lakers All-Star has received from his loved ones during his 20-year NBA career:
“You got to give his family a lot of credit. For him to reach his goals and things he’s reached, he’s in the gym a lot alone away from his family, away from his kids. So a lot of sacrificing time from loved ones over the years for him to be what he is. So you got to give the family ultimate respect too because a lot of people can’t handle stuff like that. For him to be, obviously no one is perfect, but for him to go through this road for 20-plus years, nothing has popped up, you can’t really say nothing about him. He’s a winner, he changed the economy in Cleveland.”
Beverley’s show is a result of the guard’s collaboration with Barstool Sports. Back in August, Barstool’s Dave Portnoy boasted it would be “the most entertaining NBA podcast in America.”
Beverley discusses Draymond Green-Jordan Poole incident
Beverley couldn’t have possibly passed on the opportunity to discuss the incident between two Golden State Warriors stars, Draymond Green and Jordan Poole, that shocked the NBA last week.
In a leaked video of the altercation, Green is seen forcefully punching Poole after a verbal exchange during the team’s practice session.
On his show, Beverley mentions appearing on Green’s podcast right before the incident took place. The Lakers guard also said it surprised him the situation took place in the first place.
“That should never happen,” Beverley said of a physical fight between two teammates.
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