Russell Westbrook has been the target of criticism for Los Angeles Lakers fans all season long. The point guard’s performances have been well below the standards he has set himself during his time in the league. Turnovers and poor shooting efficiency have been the issue for Westbrook, but he has spoken about the fact that he doesn’t care too much about the noise coming from outside the team.
Things went to another level as the Lakers lost to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday night in a blowout. Fans inside the Crypto.com Arena, the lakers’ home stadium ended up booing the team during various points in the game. The entire team was on edge, even LeBron James who is normally very composed, ended up snapping at a fan during the loss.
Westbrook spoke after the game when asked about how he feels about the boos. He doubled down on his stance that he doesn’t let the harsh reactions bother him (via ESPN).
“Nah,” he said. “Take it home? For what? S—. Take it home? I got three beautiful kids at my house. Why would I take it home? If they boo, they can take their a** home. I ain’t worried about that. It doesn’t bother me none. …
“I can only answer if I take them home: No. But as for our team, I don’t think it’s something we got to deal with. And kind of move forward.”
The Lakers had an almost unbelievable 23 turnovers against the Pelicans, with Westbrook accounting for 7 of them by himself. The team may not be worrying too much about the boos from the fans but results haven’t gotten better after the All-Star break and LA now finds itself within touching distance of 11th-seed Portland. Missing the play-in tournament would be a monumental disappointment for the team and it’s likely to get a lot worse than boos for the players if that ends up happening.
