Denver Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook may divide opinions because of his style of play, but almost everyone agrees that he deserves respect for his attitude off the court. On Wednesday night, Westbrook received a warm welcome from the fans at the Crypto.com Arena, the former home of his previous team, the Los Angeles Lakers.
The ovation came during the WNBA game between the Los Angeles Sparks and New York Liberty. While enjoying some family time with his twin daughters, Skye and Jordin, Westbrook appeared on the pavilion’s “Look Who’s Here Cam.” Immediately, the audience erupted in applause and cheers as Westbrook and his daughters waved to the crowd.
Westbrook, a proud father, took the opportunity to introduce his daughters to basketball. Witnessing stars such as Breanna Stewart, Sabrina Ionescu, and Dearica Hamby was undoubtedly a unique experience for the little ones.
It was a warm reception despite a disappointing stint with the Lakers
The positive reception from fans is remarkable, considering Westbrook’s irregular tenure with the Lakers. The 2017 MVP had one of the most complicated stages of his career with the Los Angeles team. The difficulties of LeBron James, Anthony Davis, and Westbrook in meshing their games caused the team to fail to qualify for the playoffs in the 2021-22 season.
Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Clippers goes up for a lay up while defended by Maxi Kleber #42 of the Dallas Mavericks in the second half of game four of the Western Conference First Round Playoffs at American Airlines Center on April 28, 2024 in Dallas, Texas. (Photo by Tim Warner/Getty Images)
While some Lakers fans still hold a grudge over Westbrook’s performance, it’s important to remember that the Crypto.com Arena is also the home of the Los Angeles Clippers. Despite not having a happy ending with that franchise either, Westbrook maintains a certain popularity among his fans.
Westbrook’s failed stints with the Lakers and Clippers
Westbrook’s arrival at the Lakers, after a historic 2020-21 season in which he led a mediocre Washington Wizards team to the playoffs, generated high expectations. However, the acquisition turned out to be a significant mistake. To bring in Westbrook, Los Angeles sacrificed key pieces from its 2020 championship team Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Kyle Kuzma which significantly weakened the roster.
The lack of spacing on the court due to Westbrook’s style of play made him a poor fit with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Additionally, the decision to weaken the bench to bring in a “third star” made it difficult to surround the trio with quality players. The situation became so complicated that Westbrook was relegated to the bench in his second season before being traded. Interestingly, after his departure, the Lakers performed exceptionally well, reaching the Western Conference Finals.
Russell Westbrook #0 of the Los Angeles Lakers scores past Josh Giddey #3 and Jalen Williams #8 of the Oklahoma City Thunder in a game in which LeBron James #6 passed Kareem Abdul-Jabbar to become the NBA’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing Abdul-Jabbar’s career total of 38,387 points against the Oklahoma City Thunder at Crypto.com Arena on February 07, 2023 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
During his time with the Clippers, Westbrook seemed to fit better thanks to the spacing options offered by the team. He was seen as an ideal complement to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George, while his defensive effort was an added value. In fact, in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs, he showed that he still had plenty of fuel left in the tank, battling hard despite injuries to Leonard and George.
Unfortunately, Westbrook’s time with the Clippers also ended in disappointment. The team replaced him with James Harden, relegating him to an off-the-ball role that hurt him in the first round of the 2024 NBA playoffs. Now, the Denver Nuggets hope to make the most of Westbrook in what appears to be the twilight of his career.
