Getty Russell Westbrook of the LA Clippers.
Los Angles Clippers star point guard Russell Westbrook went viral after a video showed his heated confrontation with a Phoenix Suns fan during halftime of Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. A fan said something that caught his attention, causing the Clippers’ point guard to approach a lounge area where the fan was seated to warn him of his behavior.
Though the NBA reportedly did investigate the situation between Westbrook and the fan, nothing came of it as he suited up for Game 2. But not everyone is satisfied with the league’s handling of the situation. Fox Sports NBA analyst Jason Whitlock says Westbrook deserved to be suspended by the NBA for the altercation.
“Russell Westbrook confronted a Phoenix Suns fan inside a lounge at halftime. Westbrook cursed at and menaced the fan in front of a child. The NBA has taken no action against Westbrook. They’re ‘investigating’ the situation allegedly,” Whitlock said on the April 20 episode of “Fearless.”
“The lifeblood of sports has long been the fan. The fan buys the tickets, the jerseys, the concessions, the TV league packages, and whatever else sports leagues sell. The fan is the customer, and in a long-ago America, the customer was always the highest priority. That has clearly changed. The player is now the highest priority. The fan is taken for granted.”
Jason Whitlock Slams Russell Westbrook
Westbrook has a long-detailed history of having confrontations with NBA fans. In 2016 he told a fan to “shut the f*** up” and was fined $25k by the league. In 2019, an expletive-filled exchange with a Utah Jazz fan earned him another $25k fine. And now the situation during Game 1 in Phoenix is just the latest incident in Westbrook’s history of confrontations with fans.
Whitlock believes Westbrook has been the common denominator throughout his long history of altercations.
“Russell Westbrook has a long history of conflict with paying customers. At some point, you have to realize Westbrook is the common denominator in all the conflict, or do you believe every NBA fan is a closet racist? Do racists now spend thousands of dollars to sit courtside and support primarily Black NBA players? Does the NBA have no interest in the curtailing conflict between fans and players? It would be a mistake to normalize players confronting fans inside lounges and areas reserved for customers,” Whitlock added.
“The NBA’s inaction on fan abuse speaks loudly about what the league thinks of its paying customers. They’re an afterthought. A league that once promoted itself as fantastic is now fan-phobic”
Jason Whitlock Likens Draymond Green to Russell Westbrook
Whitlock also makes another interesting point. Westbrook was not suspended for Game 2 after confronting a fan. However, Golden State Warriors star Draymond Green was ejected from Game 2 and suspended for Game 3 after deliberately stepping on Sacramento Kings star Domantas Sabonis.
The analyst adds that the contrast in how the NBA handled Westbrook and Green’s controversies is the latest example of the NBA valuing players more than fans.
‘The Draymond Green controversy and the Russell Westbrook non-controversy proved my point. The NBA disciplined Draymond Green because it is concerned with protecting the players. The NBA won’t do anything except maybe a harmless fine to Russell Westbrook because it has no interest in protecting fans,” Whitlock added.
“Who is more worthy of protection: fans or players? I believe the fans are. Sabonis is paid millions of dollars to step between the lines and compete with Green. Occasionally, temperatures are going to flare, and the physicality will cross the line. It’s expected. I have no problem with the NBA making every effort to curtail violence between players.”