Lakers guard Russell Westbrook and coach Darvin Ham reportedly were involved in a “brief, heated verbal exchange” at halftime in the locker room during Tuesday night’s game against the Thunder, sources told ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski.
Apparently the two got into an argument about Westbrook “lingering” on the court after he was put on the bench in the second quarter. Westbrook played 28 total minutes in the game coming off the bench.
During the argument, it was reported that they raised their voices while discussing Westbrook’s being subbed out. The conversation then quickly turned back to focus on the game, especially as the Lakers trailed 76–66 to the Thunder at halftime.
Neither Ham nor Westbrook have spoken about the reported exchange.
Despite the halftime incident, Westbrook and Ham appeared to fist bump after the game. The guard scored 14 points in the fourth quarter and 27 overall, second on the team behind LeBron James’s 38.
The Lakers ended up losing, 133–130, on the night when James became the NBA’s all-time scoring leader.
