Patrick Beverley Addresses Playing With Lakers, Russell Westbrook

The Lakers turned some heads last month when they acquired veteran guard Patrick Beverley in a trade with the Jazz. The fiery Beverley has had some past run-ins with current Los Angeles point guard Russell Westbrook, who endured a tumultuous first season with his hometown team that culminated in the team missing the playoffs.

As Beverley was formally introduced in a press conference on Tuesday, Westbrook was a topic of conversation, particularly past beef between the two high-energy guards.

“Super excited,” Beverley said when asked about his fit with Westbrook, per ESPN’s Ohm Youngmisuk. “… I was asked this question two, three years ago, [about] someone I always wanted to play with and [Westbrook] was the first name. I have [known] Bron since I was a baby, a rookie in this league, so obviously I want to play with him. But a player with that competitive spirit, that fire, that will, that dog, that nastiness, that grit, to have a running mate like that, I have never had that. So I am super excited to see where it goes.”