LeBron James is no stranger to public criticism. The Los Angeles Lakers star and one of the greatest players in NBA history headlines sports talk shows, social media debates and everything in between on a daily basis. But the latest criticism directed at James came in somewhat of a strange fashion.

During the Boston Celtics' preseason opener against the Denver Nuggets in Abu Dhabi, Russell Westbrook's tenure with the Lakers was discussed. The Celtics announcers addressed Westbrook's departure from the Lakers, opting to go directly at James by suggesting he's used teammates as "a scapegoat" before. James caught wind of the comments and fired back with a quick one-liner, addressing his thoughts on Westbrook in the process.

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images In short, James called out the duo for trash-talking him during their preseason trip to Abu Dhabi and showed love to Westbrook. Took a trip all the way to Abu Dhabi to be on my..

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Eat some breakfast first! Anyways Brodie a LEGEND 🫡 https://t.co/Ux3Wnl83Y5 The announcer initially stated the hope that Westbrook can "make like nine threes" against the Lakers to get revenge for the heat he took when the James-Westbrook-Anthony Davis trio didn't lead to success. This was followed up by the "scapegoat" comment pointed directly at James.

While the Lakers' struggles during Westbrook's tenure have remained a hot-button topic of conversation, James's respect for his former teammate hasn't wavered. However, the discussion oddly shifting to c.