Russell Westbrook’s first public comment after news broke of his trade from the Washington Wizards to the Los Angeles Lakers was a short Instagram caption, and his brevity did nothing to conceal the level of excitement and enthusiasm he had.
“HomeTeam. WhyNot?”
Anyone familiar with Westbrook’s social media presence recognizes the second word as his catchphrase. But the first word also represents something just as significant: the realization of the Long Beach-born Westbrook’s long-held dream to play for his hometown NBA team. And while much of the coverage of Westbrook’s trade to the Lakers has rightfully focused on his on-court fit alongside fellow superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, that homecoming was what the product of Leuzinger High School and UCLA most wanted to talk about at his introductory press conference on Aug.