Russell Westbrook found himself quarrelling with fans yet again on Monday night … and this time, he needed to be separated from the tiff by not only his teammates, but his opponents as well.
The Clippers star got into the heated spat with what appeared to be a couple of men at Crypto.com Arena toward the end of L.A.’s 113-104 loss to Denver.
Video from the scene shows Westbrook began verbally jarring with the courtside fans during a break in the action late in the fourth quarter … before he returned as the final buzzer sounded to argue some more.
The 35-year-old point guard was clearly peeved at the guys … though, thankfully, a referee, his teammates, and a few Nuggets players helped pull him away from it all.
Afterward, Westbrook refused to say specifically what the altercation was all about … though he seemed to insinuate the fans had said something inappropriate about his family.
“Fans think they can say whatever they want,” he told a throng of media members. “I’m not going to say [what they said] now because it’s not appropriate, but I’m just protecting myself.”
“Just unfortunate fans think they can get away with saying anything and, personally, I won’t allow it.”
Of course, this is hardly Westbrook’s first heated incident with hecklers … just seven months ago, he got into a screaming match with a man following a playoff game in Phoenix. Numerous other times recently — including several instances during one of the worst seasons of his career in 2022 — he beefed with fans as well.
On Monday night, Westbrook explained that now that his children are older … he’s simply refusing to take any cross-the-line shade from fans.
“Now having kids and understanding how important it is, not just myself but my last name,” Westbrook said. “Understanding what Westbrook means, understanding how important that is to my dad, my grandfather, my family. It’s very important. It’s something I stand on, and the respect is a big thing that I value.”
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