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Russell Westbrook has often been the target of criticism during his time in LA, but on Tuesday, the tables turned. The star guard received maybe the most complimentary postgame interview of his career.
Westbrook was praised for his play on the court, despite it coming in a losing effort to the Clippers. His reaction to the words was priceless.
Russ was the Lakers’ second-leading scorer on Tuesday, notching 17 points. He also added five assists and a pair of steals. That performance was largely overshadowed by both the loss and a monster outing from teammate LeBron James, but one reporter took note.
After the game, the point guard was asked about a few different plays in the contest, all of which were very complimentary. Check out Russell Westbrook’s surprising reaction below.
This was an awesome postgame interview with Russ pic.twitter.com/c6r8tkKgJu
— David Astramskas (@redapples) January 25, 2023
The interview begins with a congratulations on making the 24,000-point club. The reporter then began talking about Westbrook’s impressive dribbling skills, his turnaround jumper, and his all-around athleticism.
Russ’s face lights up as the interviewer goes on, and he had the best possible answer.
“You know, the way you explained it, you need to be around more often… I just try to go out and do it the best way I can. Try to find better ways to make some shots and make the right play.”
Fans had some fun with the line of questioning on social media.
One person wrote, “Russ just found his new favorite reporter,” while another said, “She had him blushing.”
This fan commented, “It’s cool to see Russell Westbrook happy.”
Those plays have come easier in Year 2 with the Lakers. After early struggles in his debut season, Westbrook has embraced a reserve role. He’s now in line to be a Sixth Man of the Year candidate, averaging 15.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 7.6 assists off the bench.
He’ll look to continue that level of play as the year continues, which will hopefully make Los Angeles a playoff team. As it stands, the Lakers sit at 22-26 and in 13th place in the Western Conference standings.
If they can find a few more wins, maybe we’ll see some more of these complimentary interviews in the future.