Russell Westbrook and the Denver Nuggets visited the Crypto.com Arena on Saturday for their road game against the Lakers. While this used to be his homecourt only a few years ago, Westbrook hasn’t been welcomed by the Lakers fans since his sour departure from the franchise.
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The 36-year-old faced something similar on his recent visit to LA. On a possession, Westbrook was seen running towards the bucket for what looked like a layup attempt. On his way up, he was double-teamed by Anthony Davis and Austin Reaves, who were able to dispossess him near the paint.
Following the play, a Lakers fan, sitting near the baseline yelled “F**k outta here” at him. At the time, Westbrook smiled at the fan and even blew him a kiss. But during the next timeout, he came back to the fan’s seat to confront him for hurling profanities at him.
Westbrook kept the interaction respectful but ensured that the fan understood that it’s not okay to cuss at him openly. He put his hand on the fan’s shoulder and said, “I ain’t going to cuss at you don’t cuss at me, you feel me? Enjoy the game.”
Before Westbrook left, he shook his hand to let him know that everything was fine.
Russ interacts with Lakers fan: "I ain't going to cuss at you don't cuss at me, you feel me? Enjoy the game." pic.twitter.com/G1xgdsXF6R
— ²³𝙻𝚎𝙱𝚛𝚘𝚗𝚌𝚑𝚒𝚝𝚒𝚜🏀☄️🌎💞 (@BronGotGame) November 24, 2024
After Westbrook went back to the Nuggets bench, a fan was heard saying, “That was nice of him.”
The Nuggets star has had a troubled relationship with Lakers fans as he couldn’t do well for the franchise during his stint. However, what fans often fail to realize is that he did the best he could, but the team wasn’t the best fit for him. He averaged 17.4 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 7.9 assists in two seasons.
Russell Westbrook’s altercations with fans
Westbrook isn’t a stranger to such interactions with fans. He is one of the most confrontational athletes in the league and he doesn’t like to tolerate being disrespected. He often takes matters into his own hands instead of letting things go. In November of last year, he had one of his many encounters with a fan.
After engaging in a war of words on the floor, he shared his thoughts with the media.
Westbrook said, “It’s just unfortunate fans think they can get away with saying anything and personally, I won’t allow it… Understanding what ‘Westbrook’ means, understanding how important that is to my dad, my grandfather, my family. It’s very important. It’s something I stand on, and the respect is a big thing that I value. So the moment the line gets crossed, I won’t allow it no more.”
In April of this year, Westbrook had an altercation with a Hornets fan. Staying adamant about not tolerating disrespect, he said, “Don’t disrespect my name. Do you understand me? I don’t give a f**k.”
But today’s interaction shows that Russ is trying to keep the dialogue respectful to not warrant an unnecessary altercation.
