Patrick Beverley didn’t pull any punches on his return to the Los Angeles Lakers with the Chicago Bulls on Sunday.
The 34-year-old was traded to the Bulls, his hometown team, earlier this year after deciding to snub defending champions, the Golden State Warriors. But Beverley has evidently held onto some grudges as he took aim at the Lakers, while also mocking old teammate LeBron James on his return from injury.
Beverley and the Bulls rained on James’ return parade with a 118-108 victory, with the point guard putting up ten points and five assists. And after sinking a free throw in the fourth and final quarter, Beverley decided to troll his old team by gesturing that they stink to NFL legend and TV personality, Shannon Sharpe.
At one point in the game, he even took a cheeky shot at James after scoring with a baby hook. The 6ft 2in Bulls star then crouched and lowered his hand, hitting back at the critics who say “he’s too small” for NBA players.
Beverley is happy with how he is being used with the Bulls, who boast a record of 10-5 since his arrival. He says his treatment at the Lakers was the opposite. “Yeah, you know, if I’m a spoon, [Bulls coach] Billy [Donovan] is using me as a spoon,” Beverley said, smiling. “The Lakers, you know, I was a spoon and they used me as a fork.”
And on his “too small” gesture to four-time MVP James, Beverley says he was just having fun. “I do it to everybody,” Beverley said. “I was just having fun, getting lost in the game. Just getting lost in the game, having fun, man. We’re not construction workers. We’re not guys that have to get up at 4 o’clock in the morning. We’re professional basketball players. It’s all about having fun. That’s what we tried to do tonight, well, what I tried to do tonight.”
Despite playing pantomime villain, Beverley says he’s happy for his former teammates’ success. “We had a lot of fun,” he said. “Obviously, you wished you would have won a little bit more games. But you really can’t put a hand on that. But I had a great time, man. Obviously, LeBron, he has always been my big bro. He was my vet when I came into the league with the Miami Heat. AD [Anthony Davis], he is from Chicago and it’s always love. So, we built a real bond and I’m just happy those guys got it rolling and I’m happy for their success.”
Beverley’s nice guy talk post-game is the complete opposite of what he was hoping for after his Lakers departure. He has previously said that he wanted to “knock them out of the playoffs.”
And with the Bulls beating the Lakers, it has dented his former team’s playoff chances. There are only seven matches left to play and LA currently holds the No9 seed in the crowded Western Conference where Memphis and Denver have secured their places in the post season. The Bulls, meanwhile, are 10th in the East and are also fighting for their playoff hopes.
