Russell Westbrook shares why he isn’t bothered by the fans booing him
Russell Westbrook is not worried about the fans booing him
For someone who played 14 seasons in the NBA, Rusell Westbrook has seen it all: love, adoration, hate. He's played long enough to become the villain. That's why nothing bothers him that much, not even the booing of the home fans. Brodie keeps it real and focuses on what matters.
Russ on fans booing him
It's not easy being an NBA player. You're giving your all every night but still get criticized on social media or, worse, home fans. People think they earned the right to call players names after buying tickets. They quickly forget that players are just like them, too: someone else's father, brother, cousin, or friend.
The home fans turned on the Purple and Gold in the game against the New Orleans Pelicans. LeBron James heard the crowd's reaction, too.
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Brodie finished the game with 16 points, six rebounds, one assist, and seven turnovers. As the league leader in turnovers, it's expected fans to get frustrated at him. But Russell keeps things in perspective. He added what happens on the court stays on the court.
"I got three beautiful kids at my house, my wife, I ain't taking that home."
Westbrook as a father, man, and husband, is separate from Westbrook as the former MVP and now labeled the turnover king and inefficient scorer. It's one way to balance things out. No matter what, Brodie still collects his paychecks and goes home to his loving family. The booing is part of the job, and if it's what players could get in return from playing the game they love while earning millions, it couldn't get any worse than that.
Worrying fans' reaction
When the home fans start booing the home team, that's a sure sign things are problematic. The L.A. Lakers are slipping away from the playoff picture, and frustrations are beginning to mount with every loss. If they fail to make the postseason, it would be a sad end for a fairy tale summer that started with a lot of hope brought by offseason signings.
RWB was signed, together with other veterans who are looking to win a title before retiring. Decisions had to be made, and the front office chose the players they wanted to run the season with. Could DeMar DeRozan, Kyle Lowry, or Buddy Hield have been signed instead of RWB? There was a possibility. But looking back and thinking what could have been is now pointless. At this point of the season, the Lakers only have themselves to blame for a dismal season and continue to look for ways to improve to make the playoffs.
