Russell Westbrook Greeted Patrick Beverley With A Hug At His Introductory Press Conference

The Los Angeles Lakers held a standard introductory press conference on Tuesday for their newest acquisition, Patrick Beverley. During the press conference, Beverley addressed his fit with the Lakers’ roster and spoke favorably about partnering up with Westbrook as his new backcourt mate.

The expectation of a Westbrook trade reached its zenith after the Lakers acquired Beverley, but with training camp only a few weeks away, no trade has materialized. Russ made sure to let everyone know that he will be showing up to training camp even after the Beverley trade. The former MVP even appeared at Beverley’s press conference, tossing Patrick a towel, and the two players even shared a brief hug afterwards.

That dap and hug could be favorably described as a business hug, but it may be an indicator that Westbrook and Beverley are willing to squash a beef that goes back to the 2013 playoffs when an aggressive Beverley play as Westbrook was calling timeout caused Russ to miss the entire playoffs with a knee injury. Since then, the two have gone back and forth with constant jabs and criticism through the media. Beverley even insisted that Westbrook’s comments damaged his career. Although Beverley praised Westbrook’s toughness during his introductory press conference, he did admit that the two would need to have “tough” conversations.

This press conference could be the start of a surprising reconciliation between the two Laker guards, or at least a concerted PR effort on the Lakers part to ensure the season doesn’t start with public concerns of discontent, with the team posting a photo of the two on the court having a laugh.