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When it’s all said and done, Los Angeles Clippers star Russell Westbrook will be a surefire Basketball Hall of Famer.
But for as much as Westbrook’s legacy will be about his countless highlight-reel plays, it will also be about his now countless number of run-ins with fans he feels have crossed the line.
Another one of those interactions occurred on Sunday night when the Clippers traveled to Charlotte to take on the Hornets.
Russell Westbrook gets into an exchange with a fan
The heckler was chirping Russ in the first half pic.twitter.com/2vPSseXrUQ
— Jeremy Grandison (@JeremyGrandiso1) March 31, 2024
Video from ESPN Charlotte reporter Jeremy Grandison showed Westbrook in a heated back-and-forth exchange with a Hornets fan seemingly telling the fan not to disrespect his family’s name.
This is, of course, nothing new for the former NBA MVP, who has had multiple similar instances just this season.
Russell Westbrook Altercation Has Lengthy History
Westbrook previously spoke out about fans referring to him as “Westbrick,” a name originally coined by Fox Sports star Skip Bayless.
“…When it comes to basketball, I don’t mind the criticism of missing and making shots. But the moment it becomes where my name is getting shamed, it becomes an issue,” he said previously. “I’ve kind of let it go in the past just because it never really bothered me. But it really kind of hit me the other day, honestly. Me and my wife was at teacher-parent conference for my son, and the teacher told me, she’s like, “Noah, he’s so proud of his last name. He writes it everywhere (and) he writes it on everything. He tells everybody, he walks around and says, ‘I’m Westbrook. Westbrook, that’s my last name.’
“And I kind of sat there in shock. And it hit me, like damn, I can no longer allow people – for example, Westbrick, to me, is now shaming. It’s like shaming my name. It’s my legacy for my kids (and) it’s a name that means more, not just to me, but to my wife, my mom, my dad are he ones that kind of paved the way for me. And that’s just one example. I mean, that kind of hit myself and my wife in a place where it’s not great, man. And I think a lot of times I let it slide, but it’s now time to put a stop to that and put it on notice there is a difference, and 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 that I nip that in the bud.”
Clearly, Westbrook has drawn a line in the sand.