Lakers' Russell Westbrook Says He Never Held a Grudge Against Patrick Beverley

When the Los Angeles Lakers acquired Patrick Beverley, fans seemed ready to man their battle stations for a guaranteed civil war with Russell Westbrook.

According to Westbrook, things were never that deep.

"[There was] no process," Westbrook told reporters when asked how his relationship with Beverley shifted from bitter rivals to teammates. "I'm an easygoing guy. I don't hold grudges against anybody—life is too short. We've been blessed with too many opportunities and platforms to walk around and hold grudges. I just continue to move forward. Obviously, when I'm on the court, I don't have any friends other than that basketball and the people that's on my team, so I compete. Other than that, off the floor, I'm just a normal guy that likes to have fun."

Westbrook said he and Beverley have gotten along in the ramp-up to the season, with their competitive mentalities meshing together well on the floor.

That was the polar opposite of how things went when the two were on opposite sides of the floor, with Westbrook and Beverley sharing several back-and-forths for nearly a decade. Their rivalry began when an aggressive Beverley crashed into Westbrook's knee and caused a torn meniscus during the 2013 playoffs.

Beverley maintained his innocence amid some calling it a dirty play, but five years later he again dove to the floor and nearly injured Westbrook's knees. While Westbrook escaped that incident unscathed, it was clear it was not a forget-and-forgive situation.

Westbrook openly ripped Beverley in the press in November 2019, calling his rival's reputation as a defensive stopper a mirage.

“Pat Bev trick y'all, man, like he playing defense. He don't guard nobody, man. He just running around, doing nothing," Westbrook told reporters.

Beverley would later say Westbrook's comments "damaged" his career during an appearance on The Old Man and the Three.

"After that, people were just taking the ball, just going at me. I'm like, what the f--k? All because of what one person said. .... He damaged my career. Like, coaching staffs and players, fans, they looked at me way different. They looked at me like, 'You know what? He don't play defense. He just yells and runs around.' And held onto that and held onto that. And some people still do."

This type of bitter on-court rivalry, replete with yearslong resentment from both parties, rarely transitions well into chemistry as teammates. It seemed like a borderline lock that Beverley's arrival would spell Westbrook's departure from Los Angeles, but that's clearly not the case.

Both players showed up to training camp, acted professionally and put whatever beef existed behind them for the betterment of the team.

We'll just have to see if the smiles and glad-handing continue once they're on the floor together and someone makes a mistake.