Russell Westbrook Got A Technical Foul For Kicking Kentavious Caldwell-Pope In The Nuts

Russell Westbrook certainly tried to kill a basketball against the Detroit Pistons on Monday night, but he almost definitely didn’t mean to kick someone in the junk while shooting.

Westbrook got hit with a technical foul for kicking Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in the groin after letting a shot go at the foul line. The Oklahoma City guard left the floor to take a shot, and his left foot hit Caldwell-Pope square in the junk as he released the ball.

It was almost certainly unintentional because, I mean, how could he possibly line something like that up in the first place? That would be amazingly difficult to do. But officials called Westbrook for the tech after Caldwell-Pope immediately reacted and fell to the floor in obvious pain.

Officials are taking a closer look at plays like this after Draymond Green got into the habit of kicking opponents in the groin last season, which led to him getting suspended from an NBA Finals game. Green has had his own problems with technical fouls and definitely doesn’t want this rule to be named after him, but it’s a moniker that has stuck.

I think even Green would be impressed by Westbrook trying to score points while also kicking an opponent in the junk. That’s some excellent time management right there.