LeBron James became known for creating the superteam era in the NBA, and the Los Angeles Lakers tried to replicate the formula when they traded for Russell Westbrook.
Westbrook was brought in to take the load off of LeBron, but instead the experiment crashed and burned in spectacular fashion.
Westbrook was eventually sent to the Utah Jazz in a three-team deal, ending what ended up being a tenuous partnership with James.
In an excerpt from Yaron Weitzman’s upcoming book ‘A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the LeBron Lakers,’ a visit from actor Will Smith highlighted the rift between the two stars, via The Ringer:
Two days after losing to the Blazers, the Lakers were back at their facility for a practice.