Patrick Beverley didn’t become a 10-year NBA veteran because he’s an especially gifted player by NBA standards. He got here by fighting. On the court. In the media. Doesn’t matter. Beverley doesn’t give an inch to anyone.
So it should come as no surprise that Beverley, who was traded to the Lakers this summer, doesn’t see playing with LeBron James and Anthony Davis as some once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for which he should be eternally grateful. Quite the opposite, in fact.
“They’re gonna be playing with me,” Beverley recently quipped. “I made the playoffs last year, they didn’t.”
I love this. Dude isn’t about to bow down to anyone. Beverley was dead serious when he said this, too. That’s the best part. A lot of guys would’ve thrown this out tongue-in-cheek, but Beverley is stating facts. As a member of the Minnesota Timberwolves, he made the playoffs last season. The Lakers finished 16 games under .500. What’s the confusion?
Beverley and LeBron have some history as well. Not long ago, the veteran guard revealed he had a chip on his shoulder after the Heat cut him as a rookie shortly after LeBron signed in Miami.
“I played with Miami, with LeBron and they cut me,” Beverley said in 2019 as a member of the Clippers. “I got drafted by the Lakers, they traded me to Miami. Bron got there, they cut me. I remember it like it was yesterday, so yeah, it’s a chip on my shoulder.”
Beverley has also said James is “like a big brother” to him, so their partnership shouldn’t be a problem in Los Angeles.
That said, it’s probably only a matter of time before Beverley takes a media shot at Russell Westbrook. This is going to be fun.
