Russell Westbrook: Workout with LeBron James Showed Lakers Partnership Would Work

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook said at his team's media day Tuesday that he knew his new partnership with forward LeBron James would work after the two met up for a joint workout last August.

"It was going to work," Westbrook, whom the Lakers acquired in a blockbuster trade with the Washington Wizards this offseason, told ESPN's Dave McMenamin.

As McMenamin wrote, James and Westbrook met up at a high school gym in Beverly Hills, Los Angeles. James, Westbrook and the rest of the Lakers also met up last weekend for a team workout/bonding trip in Las Vegas.

The Lakers now have a Big Three featuring James, Westbrook and Anthony Davis.

Westbrook, who is searching for his first championship, clearly understands the team's championship goal and that the team's superstars will have to make sacrifices in order to accomplish that mission.

"LeBron out of anybody else, he knows what it takes to win a championship," Westbrook told McMenamin.

"My understanding of the commitment, understanding the sacrifices that we are both going to have to make, including myself and [Anthony Davis] as well for the betterment on the team, and finding ways to be able to win a championship. And that's the ultimate goal. So anything along the way we, we cannot get distracted, cannot get the deterred from our ultimate goal."

The 2019-20 Lakers won the championship, which marked James' fourth of his career. Last year's team was hit by injuries and fell in the first round of the playoffs.

Only four Lakers remain from last year's roster in James, Davis, Marc Gasol and Talen Horton-Tucker. The rest of the roster features Westbrook and a host of veterans 30 years and older on one-year deals, including Carmelo Anthony, Dwight Howard and Rajon Rondo.

Forming chemistry with all the new faces is of the utmost importance as the franchise searches for its 18th title. So far, it appears everyone is focused and on the same page as L.A. looks toward opening night, which will be Oct. 19 at home against the Golden State Warriors.