LeBron James shows full-fledged support for Russell Westbrook after point guard posts audio defending himself

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James had a positive reaction to a cryptic Instagram post by his teammate Russell Westbrook on Thursday.

Westbrook deleted all of his Instagram posts before uploading one with interesting audio that appeared to be defending himself.

James and Westbrook didn’t have a successful season in Los Angeles during the 2021-22 campaign, as the team failed to make the playoffs. The Lakers were never able to find a way for Westbrook to truly mesh in the rotation this season, and injuries to James and Anthony Davis also held the team back.

During the 2021-22 season, Westbrook averaged 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds and 7.1 assists per game this season while shooting 44.4 percent from the field and 29.8 percent from beyond the arc.

He played off the ball a bit more this season than years past while playing alongside James, and his shot never came around for the Lakers.

Westbrook averaged his fewest points per game since his second season in the NBA, and he was unable to produce at the level the Lakers had hoped when they acquired him this past offseason in a trade with the Washington Wizards.

Clearly, James still supports his teammate, but the Lakers will be faced with a tough decision this offseason.

Westbrook has a player option for the 2022-23 campaign, and the team may need to find a way to trade him should he opt into his contract.

The Lakers could also run back the trio of Westbrook, James and Davis, but given the results of the 2021-22 season, it’s hard to see Los Angeles choosing that path. The Lakers are trying to get back to their championship level from when they won the NBA Finals in the 2019-20 season.