“Russell Westbrook Is a Good Sidekick”: When Shaquille O’Neal Inadvertently Undermined Lakers PG’s Role in Kevin Durant’s OKC

Shaquille O’Neal in his book Shaq Uncut shared his insight into the legendary Oklahoma Thunder City squad. He claimed that Kevin Durant was an exceptional talent. Shaq also suggested that Durant was fearless and a great leader. However, on the other hand, O’Neal deemed Russell Westbrook a sidekick.

In his own head, Shaq was probably praising Westbrook. After all, being a sidekick in the NBA is not at all different than being a Robin or a Spock. In fact, there are millions of people who would exchange their entire lives to just be the sidekick to Durant.

But that is not the case with Russell Westbrook. Brodie is a star in himself. And despite his recent struggles, Russ has established himself as one of the greatest players of the modern era. But at the start of Westbrook’s career, Shaq disagreed with him.

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Shaquille O’Neal inadvertently dissed Russell Westbrook

The way Shaq writes about Russ and KD, one can easily understand his good nature. He was obviously trying to motivate both these then-upcoming stars.

But even in his good nature, Shaquille O’Neal made the mistake of limiting Westbrook to the role of a sidekick. This is, in all fairness, disrespectful to everything he has achieved in his career.

Shaq: “I love Kevin Durant. I love the way he plays. He’s aggressive. He’s fearless. He’s a quiet leader, seems to have a lot of poise. Russell Westbrook is a good sidekick with a lot of talent and a lot of confidence. He should probably pass the rock a little more to the big fella, though.”

Perhaps O’Neal saw hints of Kobe Bryant and himself in KD and Brodie. He may have seen two exceptional talents on the team and drawn a parallel to his own life.

Westbrook’s downward spiral should not define his career

There has been a recent trend of attacking Westbrook. His last season’s bad spell has spilled into the ongoing season. Brodie has struggled to find his footing and it is necessary to criticize his current performance.

That being said, it’s also important to acknowledge what he has done in his career. He is a 1-time MVP, a 2-time scoring champ, and 3-time Assists Champ. Brodie has the most triple-doubles in the league’s history. So, despite how great Kevin Durant is, it is difficult to acknowledge Russ as just a sidekick.

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