Los Angeles Lakers fans are going at it against Russell Westbrook. They blame him for the team’s struggles and seemingly hate his guts, urging him not to shoot, booing him, and calling him ‘Westbrick.’
While Westbrook shouldn’t be the only player in the spotlight and the team’s woes go way beyond him, it’s true that he has failed to live up to the expectations. Moreover, his attitude towards the fans and the media has left a lot to be desired.
Recently, the former MVP took his feud with the audience even further, stating that he can no longer tolerate the ‘Westbrick’ nickname. Per him, that’s shaming to his name, his legacy, and his kid.
Westbrook Says He Won’t Tolerate The ‘Westbrick’ Nickname Anymore
“I can’t no longer allow people, for example, Westbrick to me is now shaming, shaming my name and my legacy for my kid,” Westbrook told the media.“It’s a name that means more to me, my wife, my mom, my dad, the ones that paved the way for me.”
“That’s just one example myself and my wife where its not great and I think a lot of times, I let it slide, but now its time to put a stop to that, and put it on notice, there’s a difference,” he added. “Every time I hear it now, I will make sure I address it and nip that in the bud… It’s very unfortunate, it’s been like this for my entire career.”
NBA News: Kevin O’Connor Calls Russell Westbrook A Hypocrite
While Westbrook has every right to complain about that, it’s not like he hasn’t engaged in this back-and-forth in the past. He even stir the pot when people called Kevin Durant soft for leaving the OKC Thunder, sharing a pic of some cupcakes during July 4th.
Westbrook’s encounters with Durant weren’t shy of controversy. He wore a jersey that read ‘adopt a cat’ before playing the Warriors after KD called his former teammates ‘a bunch of cats.’ That’s why Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer showed no sympathy towards him, going as far as to call him a ‘f***ing hypocrite.’
“Nobody is exempt from criticism,” O’Connor said in his podcast. “And also, by the way, sometimes, certain criticisms that there’s truth rooted in. And sometimes, it’s important not to shut it all out and take it all in, and you got to filter that criticism. You got to know yourself and understand your own limitations as a human being and how you can get better as a person.”
“This is the same guy that has cupcakes at his 4th of July party, playing into the Kevin Durant cupcake nickname. What a f***ing hypocrite,” he added.
Heckling is a part of the game and the fans are entitled to it as long as they keep it classy and don’t get too personal. Westbrook needs to have some accountability and point the finger at who’s really to blame for this.
