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Before the Los Angeles Lakers lost to the Minnesota Timberwolves on March 16, Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook confronted a courtside fan at the Target Center.
The fan, who claimed to be a Westbrook fanatic, kept calling the Lakers star “Westbrick.”
Fans have been calling Westbrook “Westbrick” this season since the UCLA product is struggling with his shot. He’s shooting only 43.2% from the field, 27.7% from beyond the arc and 67.0% from the free-throw line.
Westbrook put up 15 points against the Timberwolves while shooting 5-of-12 from the floor and 1-of-4 from deep. The Lakers lost by 20 points and are 29-40 on the season.
Westbrook, who has received a lot of blame for LA’s struggles since he’s the highest-paid player on the team, has made it a point to confront hecklers who call him “Westbrick” since he doesn’t want people shaming his last name.
Westbrook: Westbrick Nickname Is Shaming
After the Lakers lost to the San Antonio Spurs on March 7, Westbrook said he won’t allow people to call him “Westbrick” anymore.
“A lot of times, I let it slide,” Westbrook said. “But now it’s time to put a stop to that and put it on notice. There’s a difference. 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 I nip that in the bud.
“It’s shaming my name, my legacy for my kids. It’s a name that means, not just to me, but to my wife, to my mom, my dad, the ones that kind of paved the way for me. I’ve kind of let it go in the past because it never really bothered me. But it really kind of hit me the other day. Me and my wife were at teacher-parent conferences for my son. And the teacher told me, ‘Noah, he’s so proud of his last name. He writes it everywhere. He writes it on everything. He tells everybody and walks around and says, ‘I’m Westbrook.’ … And I kind of sat there in shock, and it hit me, like, ‘Damn. I can no longer allow people [to besmirch my name].’”
Westbrook was born and raised in California. His homecoming to the Lakers was supposed to be special. However, the one-time MVP has struggled on the hardwood and his poor play has led to LA fans booing him at home games.
Westbrook and his wife have three kids. The All-Star, out of fear that his family will get harassed, doesn’t bring his wife or kids to Crypto.com Arena, which is pretty sad.
Westbrook’s Wife, Kids Don’t Come to Home Games
Westbrook’s wife, Nina, and his three kids, Noah, Jordyn and Skye, don’t come to Crypto.com Arena for Laker home games. That’s how bad things have gotten for Westbrook.
“It affects them even going to games,” Westbrook said after the Spurs game on March 7. “Like, 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 go to home games, to any game … and it’s just super unfortunate, man. And it’s super upsetting to me.”
Westbrook will continue to confront fans who call him “Westbrick,” not just this year, but for the rest of his career. So, if you’re planning to taunt the future Hall of Famer, you better be ready for him to talk to you.
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