Watch: Russell Westbrook salutes LA Lakers legends including Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar before the game against Hawks
LA Lakers guard Russell Westbrook paid tribute to all-time greats such as Kobe Bryant, Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, who are among the best players to ever represent the franchise, on Friday. The point guard made a salute, pointing towards the jerseys hanging in the rafters of the Crypto.com Arena, just before the Hawks-Lakers game.
Here's a clip of Brodie's respectful gesture posted by the NBA's official Twitter account:
🏾 Salute the legends! 🙌🏾 Salute the legends!
@russwest44 x #NBA75 https://t.co/2IrC4vCUbR
Russell Westbrook is a California native. He grew up as an LA Lakers fan and is finally living the dream of representing his hometown franchise. The Lakeshow acquired Westbrook in the 2021 offseason in a five-team trade deal. His addition saw the Lakers form the newest big-three in the NBA, comprising LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Russell Westbrook.
Russell Westbrook is finding his feet with the LA Lakers after a bumpy start to life in LA
Russell Westbrook's addition to the LA Lakers did not impress many. He was viewed as a misfit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Those assessments seemed to come true after Westbrook's shaky start to his Lakers career.
The 33-year-old averaged over five turnovers per contest. He did not seem as comfortable with not having the ball in his hands as much as he did with his previous teams. That led the LA Lakers to an underwhelming start in the 2021-22 campaign campaign.
Nevertheless, Russell Westbrook has come along well over his last few games. He has adapted better to playing off the ball and has also stepped up defensively. His performances over the last two games are a great testament to that. Westbrook recorded zero turnovers against the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday, snapping a 407-game streak of committing at least one turnover.
He followed that up with one of his best defensive performances of the season against the Atlanta Hawks in the LA Lakers' last match. Westbrook did not have a great shooting night as he scored only nine points on four of 14 shooting but managed to grab 11 rebounds and dish 13 assists. That helped him finish with a team-high +22 +/- differential on the court. He also recorded only three turnovers.
LeBron James 
Russell Westbrook ➡ LeBron James 🔨
https://t.co/VtpqU4GdOu
Westbrook will have to do more of the same to help the LA Lakers maintain their winning streak. The team does well when Brodie adapts to in-game situations and makes better decisions whenever he has the ball in his hands at the offensive end.
It also takes the pressure off LeBron James, allowing the King to play more freely and make a difference with his scoring.
The LA Lakers are on a four-game winning streak, their longest of the season. They face the (26-14) Grizzlies next and will need Russell Westbrook to produce another efficient night if they are to continue their winning ways.