Before joining Denver, Westbrook spent the last three seasons playing in his hometown of Los Angeles, California. Appearing in 130 games for the Los Angeles Lakers, Westbrook was traded to the Utah Jazz in February, 2023 before agreeing to a buyout and joining the LA Clippers.
Nikola Jokic expressed that Lakers and Clippers misunderstood Russell Westbrook and didn't allow him to play to his strengths.