Skip to main content

Warriors' Stephen Curry speaks up for Lakers' Russell Westbrook: 'I respect how he's handled the whole year'


 


Russell Westbrook is not exactly the most popular person in the world of the Los Angeles Lakers. In the last week, CBS Sports has published the following stories about him:


Russell Westbrook, Lakers have 'mutual interest' in finding point guard a new team this offseason, per report (March 3)


  • Magic Johnson: Russell Westbrook trade could go down as 'worst' in Lakers history if they don't make playoffs (March 5)
  • Lakers want Russell Westbrook demoted to bench yet so far Frank Vogel has resisted, per report (March 6)
  • Lakers' Russell Westbrook sounds as vulnerable as you'll ever hear him as he addresses 'shaming' of his name (March 8)
  • Lakers' coaches pushed for Russell Westbrook trade at deadline, per report (March 9)
  • Russell Westbrook learns what it's like to play in LeBron James' world as Lakers season goes sideways (March 10)


Westbrook is having a nightmare season for a 28-37 Lakers team that has been flailing since preseason. After a loss in San Antonio on Monday, he said that he "can no longer allow people" to call him "Westbrick," as it constitutes "shaming my name, my legacy for my kids." Westbrook added, "It's gotten so bad where my family doesn't even want to go to home games, any game, because of the media across the globe using their platform to constantly shame, shame, shame me."


Two days before that, when the Golden State Warriors visited Los Angeles, Stephen Curry privately offered Westbrook some support. And since then, Curry has spoken up for him publicly, via Yahoo Sports' Chris Haynes. 


"I told him when we played them in L.A. a couple of days ago that I respect how he's handled the whole year, just in terms of everything he's been saying and how he's been handling himself and protecting his family," Curry told Yahoo Sports. "It is the nature of the beast. And in a certain perspective, they build you up to break you down. The real ones who have done amazing things in this league know what that means. He's a professional, and I'm proud of the way he's conducting himself, and I'm there for him."


Curry continued: "The fan perspective, it is kind of B.S. when it crosses the line in terms of attacking somebody personally, their name, and not keeping it to just basketball. That's why we're all here is because of basketball. But at the end of the day, you have to do what you have to do to speak up for yourself and also understand that the guys that know what's going on in this league respect the type of player he is. Russ definitely has my support."


Reasonable people may disagree about whether or not the derisive nickname "Westbrick" crosses the line. It's unclear whether Westbrook and Curry are taking issue primarily with fan behavior at arenas, fans' comments on social media or criticism from the media -- and the three should not be conflated. All that's really clear is that one former MVP is sticking up for another in a general way. 



Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Klay Thompson to sit out Warriors preseason games in Japan as Kerr says he needs more time to ramp-up

  Klay Thompson may have returned healthy to the Golden State Warriors last season, but the scars from his two missed seasons are still quite visible. The Warriors played their first of two preseason games against the Washington Wizards on Friday and will play another on Sunday, but Warriors coach Steve Kerr said that Thompson will not be playing at all during the trip to Japan. "Just feel more comfortable giving him a little more of a ramp up," Kerr said before Friday's victory over Washington. "He's just not quite ready to play at this point just based on where, you know, we're so early in camp. We just want to be safe and make sure he gets a good ramp-up before he plays in games." Typically, so little time to ramp up wouldn't be a problem for a veteran in a preseason context. The games tend to be so low-impact and demand so few minutes out of a team's best players that they can safely jog through them. Stephen Curry and Draymond Green played 1...
Post a Comment
Read more

Shaquille O'Neal says Dennis Rodman was his worst teammate: 'He was a great player, but he made it hard'

  Shaquille O'Neal played for six franchises over a 20-year NBA career. That's a lot of teammates. Speaking on The Big Podcast with Shaq, the four-time champion and Hall of Famer revealed which one of those teammates was the worst.  "Worst teammate? Dennis Rodman," O'Neal said. "He was a great player, but he made it hard. Like when you try to corral the guys together and the people above you [are] letting this one guy do whatever he wants. So we had to be there an hour before the game. He'd come in fifteen minutes before the game eating chicken and rice. While the coaches are talking, he would jump in the shower. Cold shower. Come and give you 15-20 rebounds." O'Neal played with some characters in his time. We know about his beef with Kobe Bryant, who we know wasn't always the easiest teammate to get along with, though Shaq has long expressed regret over the way he and Bryant handled their relationship as young superstars, and eventually, he ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Kevin Durant injury update: Nets rule star out for home-and-home vs. Raptors, hopeful for return later in week

Brooklyn Nets star forward Kevin Durant is expected to return to the floor this upcoming week. Head coach Steve Nash says it just won't be against the Raptors, either Monday or Tuesday night in the team's home-and-home against Toronto. Durant has started doing more on-court work recently as he recovers from the sprained MCL he suffered in his left knee last month, and Nash is optimistic about his prognosis moving forward. The former MVP will not play on Monday night against the Toronto Raptors, however.  "I think with Kevin he's been a great healer throughout his career," Nash said Saturday. "So the No. 1 thing is to get him back healthy and feeling secure in his health and his body so he can move and be free. When he's back, obviously he adds a ton to our team on both ends of the floor ... one of the greatest scorers of all time. And we also know he helps us defensively; he gives us more size and length. So he's a big miss for us, and whenever he get...
Post a Comment
Read more