Russell Westbrook has had an incredibly rough time with fans this season, his steep decline in production and the Los Angeles Lakers being disappointing as a whole has seen him receive endless slander. His wife revealed earlier in the season that they have been subjected to harassment and death threats, while Russ himself has explained that he doesn’t let the booing and heckling affect him.
The situation has only gotten worse for LA, meaning that the Crypto.com Arena isn’t exactly the happiest place to be in the country as the season peters out disappointingly for the Lakers. And while Westbrook’s play has improved in the last few weeks, it hasn’t led to many more wins for the team.
When asked about how the fans’ reactions and behavior affect the team as they try to break out of their slump, Russ doubled down on his answer from earlier in the year, suggesting that he doesn’t even really listen to the crowd at all.
“I don’t pay attention to this crowd, to be honest.”
An answer like that is unlikely to win Russ any more fans and it does seem like his interest in being with the Lakers is now almost next to zero. There is little doubt that Westbrook will be shopped over the offseason and there will hardly be any Lakers fans that would be too sad to see him go. The man himself looks like he would enjoy a change of scenery, and comments like this point to a lack of investment in the franchise.
The Lakers are now a game behind the 10th seed San Antonio Spurs and face a tough run-in to try and take that last play-in spot. While it might not mean much in the grand scheme of things, ending the season on a winning run and having something to show for it might just soften the reactions from some of the fans.
