Lakers Rumors: Russell Westbrook & Darvin Ham Got Into ‘Heated Verbal Exchange’ At Halftime Against Thunder

Matt Peralta
4 Min Read
Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

The night belonged to LeBron James as he became the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, but that was the only the thing the Los Angeles Lakers could celebrate as they lost to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday.

While everyone appropriately celebrated James and his historic accomplishment, it was jarring to see the Lakers look so flat against a Thunder team that was on the end of a back-to-back set. To make the situation worse, it was a pivotal game for Los Angeles as they fall even farther behind in the Western Conference standings.

The defense was almost non-existent the entire game, leaving the Lakers to try and overcome another deficit as they went into the locker rooms at halftime. During the break, it seems tensions rose as Darvin Ham and Russell Westbrook reportedly got verbally into it, via Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN:

Fights between coaches and players happen all the time in sports, and this particular incident is no different. With L.A. trailing, there is going to be some natural frustration on both parties and it sounds like the two were able to reconcile when the game was over.

However, the timing of this report is interesting considering the NBA trade deadline is on Thursday. Westbrook has been embroiled in numerous trade rumors this season as the Lakers look to improve the roster, and this leak feels like someone within the organization trying to apply pressure to get a deal done.

Whatever the case may be, the purple and gold are running out of time to right the ship if they want to get to the playoffs. It’ll be interesting to see if Westbrook is a Laker after the deadline.

Russell Westbrook not paying attention to trade rumors

For all his on-court flaws, the one thing Westbrook has been is mature as his name continues to swirl in the rumor mill. Although it would be easy for him to go rogue, Westbrook said he is focused on remaining ready and professional despite all the outside noise.

Have you subscribed to our YouTube channel? It’s the best way to watch player interviews, exclusive coverage from events, participate in live shows, and more!

Matt was born and raised in Long Beach, Calif. and is a lifelong Lakers fan. Because of his love for basketball and the Lakers, Matt successfully pursued a degree in journalism at California State University, Long Beach (#GoBeach) and is now a Staff Writer for LakersNation.com. He is also a Staff Writer for RamsNewsWire.com and RaidersNewsWire.com. Contact: mattp@mediumlargela.com Twitter: @_MatthewPeralta Instagram: @matthewperalta
Exit mobile version