The biggest story of last year’s offseason was the abrupt implosion of the Houston Rockets. First then-head coach Mike D’Antoni left. Then James Harden and Russell Westbrook demanded trades.
It was a crazy few weeks.
Ultimately, both Harden and Westbrook got what they wanted. Houston dealt them for the best assets they could possibly get at the time, and everyone moved on.
Still, the real reason for why Harden and Westbrook so suddenly decided they wanted to leave Houston has never actually been disclosed.
That all changed this past week.
During a recent appearance on The Jump, former NBA champ and current ESPN analyst Kendrick Perkins revealed the real reason Westbrook wanted out of Houston.
What the Dallas Mavericks are missing is a new Head Coach! Carry the hell on… pic.twitter.com/v9ZWeJW90S
— Kendrick Perkins (@KendrickPerkins) June 7, 2021
“From a source of mine that happened to be on the [Houston] coaching staff, they said that Russell Westbrook felt like he wasn’t being treated like the star that he should have been treated like,” Perkins said.
“So, he wanted out.”
Last offseason, the popular theory regarding why the Rockets were breaking up was that Harden and Westbrook didn’t like playing together.
It was said that Westbrook didn’t appreciate Harden’s incessant partying.
The Bucks owner’s daughter decided to bring 2021 in with a bang by stripping all her clothes off. https://t.co/UgzhEEna4o
— Game 7 (@game7__) January 7, 2021
There was talk of how Westbrook’s attitude rubbed Harden the wrong way.
But obviously that was all only part of the story.
Now, thanks to Perkins, fans will finally have a definitive answer on where it all went wrong for the Rockets.
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Charles Kruger has been credentialed to cover two Super Bowls, four NBA Finals, and one World Series. A 20-year veteran in the sports world, he has sources spanning the NBA, MLB, NFL, UFC and NASCAR. Currently residing in Los Angeles, Calif., he is Game 7’s go-to source for rumors surrounding the Lakers, Clippers and Dodgers.
