Photo: ezra shaw
A video shared online shows Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook in a heated exchange with a Phoenix Suns fan during halftime of the Clippers' Game 1 win in the Western Conference playoffs first-round series at the Footprint Center Sunday (April 16) night.
The video, which was shared by Twitter user @BCH66223, shows Westbrook yelling, "watch your mouth, motherf****r," at a fan as he's being separated by a security member and near a child eating food in an area by the visiting team's locker room before walking through a tunnel and back onto the court.
"Russ going at a fan at 1/2 time next to me. No idea what caused it," the Twitter user said in another post.
Eddie Gonzalez of FanDuel said he was nearby when the altercation took place and claims the Suns fan called Westbrook, "Westbrick," a popular taunt that the former NBA MVP has publicly expressed his displeasure over in the past.
Additionally, a child's voice can be heard yelling "Westbrick" as Westbrook walked back through the tunnel. The Long Beach native had addressed the "Westbrick" taunting while speaking to reporters during his tenure with the Los Angeles Lakers in March 2022, specifically noting that it affects him because of the pride his son, Noah, has in their last name.
"When it comes to basketball, I don't mind the criticism of missing and making shots. But the moment it becomes where my name is getting shamed, it becomes an issue," Westbrook said via ESPN. "I've kind of let it go in the past, because it never really bothered me. But it really kind of hit me the other day.
"Me and my wife were at teacher-parent conferences for my son. And the teacher told me, 'Noah, he's so proud of his last name. He writes it everywhere. He writes it on everything. He tells everybody and walks around and says, 'I'm Westbrook.' ... And I kind of sat there in shock, and it hit me, like, 'Damn. I can no longer allow people [to besmirch my name].'"
Westbrook finished Sunday's game with nine points, 15 rebounds, 11 assists and three blocks, which included a decisive swat of an attempted layup by Suns guard Devin Booker during the final seconds of the Clippers' 115-110 win in Game 1.
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