Russell Westbrook has never subscribed to the notion that heckling comes with the territory of being a professional athlete and that targeted athletes must keep their emotions in check. As he had done previously, the Clippers guard didn't take kindly to a fan besmirching his family name on Sunday.
During the Clippers' halftime break in Charlotte, Westbrook approached a fan in the front row who referred to him as "Westbrick." According to ESPN's Jeremy Grandison, the spectator had drawn the ire of the Clippers star by chirping at him during the first half of the game.
Russell Westbrook gets into an exchange with a fan
— Jeremy Grandison (@JeremyGrandiso1) March 31, 2024
The heckler was chirping Russ in the first half pic.twitter.com/2vPSseXrUQ
The infamous moniker of "Westbrick" became popular during Westbrook's time with the Lakers when he underwent a lean patch shooting the basketball. In fact, even Lakers fans would routinely mock the future Hall of Famer for badly missing wide-open shots.
Earlier this season, Westbrook explained why he won't allow fans to besmirch his family name.
Russell Westbrook earlier this season when asked about fans disrespecting his name/family:
— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) April 1, 2024
“Understanding what Westbrook means. Understanding how important that is to my dad, my grandfather, my family… The moment that line gets crossed, I won’t allow it no more. I stood for it… pic.twitter.com/qkASviwEmM
Back in June 2022, Westbrook also got into a social media tiff with FS1 media personality Skip Bayless, who apparently coined him "Westbrick" several years ago.
Yoooo… watch your mouth. Don’t say anything here you wouldn’t say to my face. https://t.co/0u8nFXYLY8
— Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) June 25, 2022
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