Russell Westbrook's two seasons from 2021 to 2023 with the LA Lakers have been remembered as one of his worst career stretches. There, Westbrook struggled to gel alongside the Lakers' superstars LeBron James and Anthony Davis, resulting in disappointing seasons for the squad. For Westbrook's former teammate Enes Freedom, the 2017 MVP became the scapegoat of the Lakers' squad during his time with the team, while accusing James of throwing Westbrook under the bus during their time together. “It all started with the Lakers,” he said. “Look at his career. As soon as he went to the Lakers. I don’t want to blame anyone. I don’t want to blame LeBron or whatever. But it’s hard to play for the Lakers.”“If you play with someone like LeBron, it’s all about LeBron," Freedom, whose former last name was Kanter, added. "If the season fails, then you need some kind of scapegoat. That year, they picked Russ as a scapegoat."Westbrook signed with the LA Clippers in the middle of the 2022-2023 season, where he embraced the sixth man role alongside Paul George and Kawhi Leonard. He then joined the Denver Nuggets led by Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray, helping them reach the second round last season, where they lost to he eventual NBA champions OKC Thunder. Now, Westbrook has remained unsigned ahead of the 2025-2026 NBA season opener"After that look at his career, this guy unfortunately can’t even find a team right now. It’s crazy. I feel bad," said Freedom, who played with Westbrook from 2015 to 2017 with the Thunder. Freedom last played with the Boston Celtics during the 2021-2022 season.Westbrook has 17 NBA seasons under his belt, and he remains one of the top free agents available for a team to pick up for the upcoming season. Enes Freedom calls LeBron James as the NBA's "dictator"Enes Freedom has long been one of the biggest critics of LA Lakers star LeBron James. In a 2024 interview, Freedom even called James the NBA's "dictator.""When I see a dictator, I know it – LeBron is literally like the dictator of the NBA," he said. "He controls the media, he controls his narrative, if you go against his agenda, you get traded, everybody knows it."His sentiments came following the Lakers' decision to draft James' son Bronny, as the 55th pick of the 2024 NBA draft. Now entering a record 23rd season, James remained the leader for the Lakers alongside co-star Luka Doncic.