Russell Westbrook ‘Excited’ for Second LA Chance With Clippers

Veteran guard Russell Westbrook has moved on from his previous Los Angeles experience and is focused on the new one.

That, of course, would be with the Clippers — the same team that just happens to share a gym with the Lakers.

“I’m super excited, man. I’m just excited to get back to playing,” Westbrook said, via Janis Carr of the Orange County Register. “I love to play basketball and I just have a lot of fun while doing it. I get to stay home, see the wife and the kids, and take them to school in the morning. That’s a big part of my day and you know, nothing more important than that.”

Westbrook was traded from the Lakers to the Jazz at the deadline, then agreed to a buyout contract with the Jazz to land back in LA. He is expected to make his Clippers debut on Friday vs. the Kings.

He went from teaming with LeBron James and Anthony Davis to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, his former Thunder teammate who made a pitch for Westbrook to sign with the Clippers.

Westbrook indicated he was moved by how the Clippers recruited him.

“That’s a huge part, man for anybody, for any normal human being in any situation in the workplace,” he said, via Carr. “(To hear) that somebody, that a lot of teammates and people want you, is very important to me.

“I value that a lot. I’ve been in this league a long time and being somewhere that people want you and they embrace you, that meant a lot to me.”

Clippers coach Tyronn Lue said the only player Westbrook needs to be is himself.

“We want him to be the player that he is, you know, the MVP, the Hall of Famer, everything he brings every single night,” Lue said, via Carr. “We want him to be that person, that player. Then, we just got to make sure that it’s within the confines of our team and what we’re trying to do team-wise.”