Russell Westbrook’s first season with the Lakers has been about as rough as anyone could’ve imagined, as the former MVP has struggled to find his place within the hierarchy of L.A.’s new Big Three in the sporadic time they’ve had all together, much less when the roster has been in flux due to injuries and absences.
Westbrook has clashed with the coaching staff at times over rotations and being sat at the end of games when he’s had a poor night, and at the February trade deadline there was considerable buzz that the Lakers were trying to find a way to move him but ultimately weren’t willing to give up a first round pick to make that happen. What we are left with is an awkward situation that will now drag on into the summer, when L.A. will again have to make a decision on Westbrook’s future with the team, and in the meantime he will continue playing things out on a Lakers team that is mired in the bottom half of the West, scrapping for a play-in spot, far from the contender they planned to be.
The Lakers problems go far beyond Westbrook, but he is the starting point for most all criticism and his struggles make for an easy target. While critiques aren’t new for Westbrook, playing on the Lakers brings a new level of scrutiny and every game makes for new fodder for the A-block of national sports TV shows. On Tuesday, Nina Westbrook took to Twitter to call out Skip Bayless for being “childish” with his constant talk about Russell and called for him to apologize, before offering up more thoughts on what she and her family deal with from fans.
I’m tired you you @RealSkipBayless calling my husband out of his name. It is extremely childish. That is my name as well, and many other peoples name. You’re disrespectful, and I’m extremely offended by your behavior. You should apologize.
— Nina Westbrook (@ninawestbrook) March 4, 2022
NAME CALLING or STEREOTYPING: Giving a person or an idea a bad label by using an easy to remember pejorative name. This is used to make us reject and condemn a person or idea without examining what the label really means.
— Nina Westbrook (@ninawestbrook) March 7, 2022
It’s very important to understand the difference between name calling and “telling one’s truth.” It’s even more important when you have a platform and a network to share your “truths” with millions of people. It requires a certain level of responsibility.
— Nina Westbrook (@ninawestbrook) March 7, 2022
If you are a public figure, you have to be responsible for the type of example you set. Unfortunately, you must keep in mind the consequences of your behavior.
— Nina Westbrook (@ninawestbrook) March 7, 2022
When I’m being harassed on a daily basis over basketball games, and I’m having obscenity’s and death wishes for me and my family sent my way because you’re expressing your “truth”, it’s hard for me to get on board with that.
— Nina Westbrook (@ninawestbrook) March 7, 2022
After the Lakers loss to the Spurs on Tuesday night, Westbrook addressed his wife’s tweets and opened up in a way he rarely does about how this season is affecting him and his family.
"I stand behind my wife with how she's feeling…it's reached a point where it's really weighing on my family." @russwest44 shares his thoughts on the comments made by his wife saying she and her family are "harassed on a daily basis". pic.twitter.com/ize5TLvVnb
— Spectrum SportsNet (@SpectrumSN) March 8, 2022
Harrison Faigen provided a full transcript of his statement, as he spoke on how it’s weighing on his family and why the name-calling at games has hit him so hard recently after seeing his son be so proud of his last name.
https://twitter.com/hmfaigen/status/1501063153492267010
It is incredibly sad that Westbrook feels he can’t bring his family to any games, even at home, without them dealing with harassment. One of the main reasons Westbrook wanted to get traded to Los Angeles was to be closer to his family, and for that to be soured the way it has is unfortunate.
