Russell Westbrook must have developed quite a thick skin over the years. There are very few superstars in the history of the NBA that have been asked to deal with the level of hate that Russ is often subjected to. It has only gotten worse for the point guard since he joined the Los Angeles Lakers last summer, with his regressing performance and the Lakers’ poor results making him an easy target for fans to direct their anger towards.
And while Westbrook maintained that it didn’t bother him too much because he had his family, his wife spoke out during the season about how it affected them as well. In any case, the Lakers reportedly look set to bring Russ back for next season, and with that in mind, things seem to have settled down for now and Westbrook can laugh about it all.
He made an appearance on Jimmy Kimmel Live’s ‘Mean Tweets’ segment too, reading out a tweet from an anonymous person, bashing him for his fashion choices and taking it in the spirit of humor.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZaYb-AzrFsY
Tweet: “Russell Westbrook dresses like my 70-year-old uncle with a timeshare in Florida.”
Russell Westbrook: “I’m a fresh 70-year-old, I’ll tell you that much.”
Westbrook laughing off the joke is a good sign, he’s not always had the best interactions with media and social media. The fact that he is not letting things like these bother him bodes well for the Lakers as well, if his play can return to match his confidence, he might turn out to be a positive asset for them after all.
Despite all the reports, no one would bet on Westbrook’s future just yet, but if there’s a player that deserves a bit of a break, it’s Russ. The expectations in Los Angeles are incredibly high, but Westbrook has never been one to back down from adversity in his career and no NBA fan would be willing to bet against him figuring it out either.
