Montrezl Harrell joined 2020-21 Lakers due to grudge he had against Clippers

Published by

Peter Dewey

July 8, 2025 5:35 pm

Former Los Angeles Lakers big man Montrezl Harrell revealed his motivation for signing with the franchise in the 2020 offseason after having one of the best seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Clippers.

In an interview with Brandon “Scoop B” Robinson of Ahn Fire Digital, Harrell shared why he regretted returning to the NBA’s Orlando, Fla. bubble during the 2019-20 season and some of the issues he dealt with the Clippers in light of the passing of his grandmother.

Since Harrell felt a lack of support and respect from the Clippers, he made a “personal” decision to play for their rival in the same city.

“Man, to be honest with you, it wasn’t about any exposure s—, bro,” Harrell said. “I just won Sixth Man of the Year in the bubble, and I just wanted to be in the same city y’all was in just to give y’all f—–’ hell right across the street.”

In the 2019-20 season, Harrell averaged 18.6 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.1 blocks per game for the Clippers, leading to him winning the league’s Sixth Man of the Year award.

The Clippers had come up short in the playoffs in the 2019-20 season, and Harrell decided that he’d join the Lakers, who won the title in the 2019-20 season behind strong showings from LeBron James and Anthony Davis.

Harrell had a major impact with the Lakers in the 2020-21 season, averaging 13.5 points, 6.2 rebounds, 1.1 assists and 0.7 blocks per game while shooting 62.2 percent from the field. He finished the 2020-21 season in sixth in the NBA’s Sixth Man of the Year voting.

While the Lakers didn’t go on to win the title, Harrell certainly showed the Clippers that they were missing a valuable piece in the 2020-21 campaign.

Unfortunately for the big man, he didn’t spend much time in the NBA after the 2020-21 season. Harrell played for two teams in the 2021-22 season – the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets – appearing in 71 total games.

He then played in 57 games with the Philadelphia 76ers in the 2022-23 season. Harrell has not played in the NBA since.

The Lakers have not made it back to the NBA Finals since the 2019-20 season, although they did make the Western Conference Finals in the 2022-23 campaign.

Los Angeles is aiming to get back in the mix for a title in the 2025-26 season with Luka Doncic and James leading the way.

Peter Dewey

Peter is a graduate of Quinnipiac University where he covered the MAAC and college basketball for three years. He has worked for NBC Sports, the Connecticut Sun and the Meriden Record-Journal covering basketball and other major sports. Follow him on Twitter @peterdewey2.