‘I hate that fake s—, I just can’t do it’: Russell Westbrook calls out ‘fake’ Lebron James after details  emerge from their Lakers fallout

Two years have passed since future NBA Hall of Famer Russell Westbrook’s troublesome tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers ended, and new details have emerged detailing how the former All-Star reached a breaking point with former teammate and Lakers star LeBron James.

In an excerpt from NBA writer Yaron Weitzman’s new book titled “A Hollywood Ending: The Dreams and Drama of the Lebron Lakers,” which chronicles James’ eventful tenure so far in Los Angeles, it was a meeting with Hollywood actor Will Smith that broke the proverbial camel’s back between Westbrook and the four-time NBA champion.

After a 3-0 start to the Lakers’ 2022-2023 regular season campaign that saw all the blame go to Westbrook, General Manager Rob Pelinka arranged for Smith to talk in front of the team, six months removed from his slap to Chris Rock at the Oscars.

Before the actor spoke, however, James reportedly got up and walked out, saying, “Y’all got this,” which prompted big man Anthony Davis to follow suit. Westbrook also tried to get out of the session until then-new signing Patrick Beverley stopped him. When the former Oklahoma City Thunder guard asked why James and Davis were allowed to go, Beverley explained that the duo won a championship, thus “they could do whatever they want.”

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Russell Westbrook reportedly grew tired of LeBron’s “fake” behavior during their time in L.A., per The Ringer.

During a Lakers team event where actor Will Smith came to speak, LeBron and Anthony Davis walked out before he arrived. Shortly after, the two returned, acting overly… pic.twitter.com/jQgjs1ePpQ

— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) October 20, 2025

The two argued as then-head coach Darwin Ham called the duo back to the room before Smith spoke to the team. After his talk to the team, James went on an hour-long question-and-answer exchange with Smith, to Westbrook’s dismay.

“The same guy who was trying to leave is now quoting back movie lines and going through the guy’s whole life story,” one source who attended the meeting said in the book.

“‘I hate that fake s—’, Westbrook said to a teammate afterward, as the Lakers gathered for a team photo. “I just can’t do it.”

There was even a photo posted on X by the official Lakers team account on that day, with LeBron smiling alongside the rest of the team except for one person: Westbrook.

Huge thank you to Will Smith, who joined the team to discuss strength through togetherness, and practicing gratitude in times of great challenge. All themes in his forthcoming masterpiece film, Emancipation.

🎙 | Lakers Genius Talk pic.twitter.com/H2Pt0bmBhr

— Los Angeles Lakers (@Lakers) October 26, 2022

Four months later, Westbrook was traded to the Utah Jazz, where he would reach a contract buyout agreement and then sign with the Lakers’ cross-town rivals Los Angeles Clippers.

The former All-Star will play his 18th NBA season after recently signing with the Sacramento Kings in the offseason. Westbrook averaged 13 points, 6.1 assists, and 4.9 rebounds per game last season for the Denver Nuggets.

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