In a 2016 interview with Graham Bensinger, Russell Westbrook revealed why he despised the media, calling their criticism nonsense.
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One of the most polarizing NBA superstars in recent history, Russell Westbrook, continues to be the favorite go-to subject for all media outlets. Despite paying no heed to the press, Westbrook is undoubtedly controversy’s favorite child and the perfect villain.
A future first-ballot Hall of Famer, Russ is not given the respect he deserves. Over the years, there have been a series of accusations and names thrown at Westbrook, some of them being ball-hog, stat-padder, and Westbrick. The former MVP is trolled by Lakers Nation and social media regularly.
Things became uglier this season when Brodie’s wife, Nino Westbrook, had to intervene as the trolls and mockery crossed all limits, with the Lakers point guard’s last name being insulted. Russ commented on how the name-calling affected his family, including his kids.
Though this was the first time the 33-year-old publicly took offense to criticism, he has always maintained an indifferent and nonchalant attitude towards the media.
“If people are talking about you, then you’re doing something right”: Russell Westbrook on how he feels about criticism.
Anyone who has followed Westbrook’s career is aware of his no-nonsense attitude. The two-time scoring champ doesn’t pay heed to any surrounding noise or drama, always locked in during those 48-minutes.
Russ defines the term hustle mentality, giving his blood and sweat every time he steps on the hardwood. While one can criticize Westbrook’s game, nobody can ever question his work ethic and will towards the same.
During a 2016 interview with Graham Bensinger, Westbrook gave an insight into what he felt about the media overall. When asked how does he views the media, the former OKC superstar had the following response.
“I don’t view them anyway cause they have no control over what I do,” said the former UCLA player.
When prodded over reports of him being selfish and wanting to be the bigger than then-teammate Kevin Durant, Russ said the following.
“I have no reaction at all because it doesn’t make any sense, there are a lot of things I don’t see, don’t pay attention to and a lot of it is nonsense. My job is not to please anybody that don’t need to be pleased, I have no relations with. My job is to come in every day and try find a way to help my teammates and try to help us win.”
Nevertheless, post his debacle in 2021-22, Westbrook faces the toughest challenge of his career as the Lakers plan to run it back with him in the upcoming season.
