Even though thousands of people knew it was going to be a mistake, the Los Angeles Lakers still traded for Russell Westbrook.
They put him in a position where he was unlikely to succeed, then blamed him for the team’s poor performances.
The fans were ruthless as well, even sending his family some death threats when the team was going through a rough patch.
Even so, Westbrook was professional enough to finish the season and even embrace a new role coming off the bench under coach Darvin Ham.
However, the media continued to take countless shots at the former MVP, turning things personal more often than not.
That was the case again with ESPN’s Dave McMenamin, who recently claimed that ‘a source’ stated that the Lakers had now gotten a ‘blood-sucking vampire’ out of the locker room.
Needless to say, that didn’t sit well with plenty of people, including Westbrook’s wife, Nina, who blasted the report on Instagram:
“I have school aged children who have to listen to their peers repeat the nasty things that you guys say on television about their father. I guess I will prepare myself to explain to my 5 year old that his dad is not actually a vampire,” Nina wrote.
"I have school aged children who have to listen to their peers repeat the nasty things that you guys say on television about their father. I guess I will prepare myself to explain to my 5 year old that his dad is not actually a vampire."
Russell Westbrook's wife, Nina on IG 😳 pic.twitter.com/U9X3uW4WW9
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPointsApp) February 10, 2023
Russell Westbrook has never caved to the media, which is perhaps why they’ve always made things personal with him.
It’s never been about his skills as a basketball player; it’s always something more.
You may or may not be a fan of Westbrook as a player, and he’s sure earned his fair share of criticism for his unwillingness to make adjustments and play winning basketball.
That’s fair.
You don’t like his game? That’s valid.
Do you believe he was a poor fit for the team? No one would argue that.
What you cannot do is take uncalled shots at the man, let alone mascarade it as ‘a source’ when it’s clearly your own opinion.
The media has turned thousands of people against a guy they don’t even really know, and they should be ashamed for fueling those narratives instead of keeping it all about basketball.
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