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Russell Westbrook Says He Can No Longer Tolerate Being Called ‘Westbrick’
The Los Angeles Lakers have underwhelmed this season, and many believe that Russell Westbrook’s acquisition has been one of the leading factors.
The Lakers are currently the 9th seed with a 28-36 record. In that stretch, Westbrook has averaged 18.1 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.2 assists per game on 43.3% shooting from the field and 28.3% from the three-point area.
Westbrook doesn’t deserve to be the lone scapegoat of the team given that the Lakers have plenty of pressing issues outside of him and have even struggled even without him on the floor. However, there’s no question that his fit hasn’t been ideal and his arrival hasn’t led to substantial positive results.
As Westbrook’s situation in LA continues to spiral, fans have completely turned against their star point guard. Every game, Westbrook gets taunted more and more and while some idiots even target his family, the majority calls him ‘Westbrick’.
This nickname though, is something Westbrook says he will no longer tolerate.
I a hundred percent stand behind my wife and how she’s feeling, because it’s not just about this year. Right now, she’s reached a point, and my family has reached a point, to where it’s really weighing on them. And it’s very unfortunate just for me personally because it’s just a game. This is just a game. This is not end-all, be-all. And when it comes to basketball I don’t mind the criticism of missing and making shots. But the moment it becomes where my name is getting shamed, it becomes an issue. I’ve kind of let it go in the past just because it never really bothered me, but it really kind of hit me the other day, honestly. Me and my wife was at teacher-parent conference for my son, and the teacher told me, she’s like, “Noah, he’s so proud of his last name. He writes it everywhere. He writes it on everything. He tells everybody, he walks around and says, “I’m Westbrook. Westbrook, that’s my last name.” And I kind of sat there in shock. And it hit me, like damn, I can no longer allow people – for example, Westbrick, to me, is now shaming. It’s like shaming my name. It’s my legacy for my kids. It’s a name that means more, not just to me, but to my wife, my mom, my dad are he ones that kind of paved the way for me. And that’s just one example. I mean, that kind of hit myself and my wife in a place where it’s not great, man. And I think a lot of times I let it slide, but it’s now time to put a stop to that and put it on notice there is a difference, and we need to make sure it’s understood. And every time I do hear it now, I will make sure that I address it and make sure that I nip that in the bud…
…It’s very unfortunate. It’s been like this for my entire career. I’ve been blessed and super thankful for the ones around me and the ones that support me, but it’s really the shaming of my name, the shaming of my character, the shaming of who I am as a person is, to me, is not warranted. I haven’t done anything to anybody. I haven’t hurt anyone. I haven’t done anything but play basketball a way that people may not like. And this is just a game. This is just a game. This is not my entire life, and I think that is the ultimate thing that’s been for me. And I don’t like to harp on it. I just kind of want it out there. But once it starts to affect my family, my wife – even today, my mom said something about it today. And it affects them even going to games. I don’t even want to bring my kids to the game, because I don’t want them to hear people calling their dad nicknames and other names for no reason because he’s playing the game that he loves. And it’s gotten so bad where my family don’t even want to home games, to any games because of not just the media across the globe using platforms constantly shame, shame, shame me. And it’s just super unfortunate, man. And it’s super upsetting to me, and I’m at a point to where I’m going la continue to address it. It’s just unfortunate.
“I stand behind my wife with how she’s feeling…it’s reached a point where it’s really weighing on my family.” @russwest44 shares his thoughts on the comments made by his wife saying she and her family are “harassed on a daily basis”. pic.twitter.com/ize5TLvVnb
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 8, 2022
