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NBA Legend Slams Media's Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook Hypocrisy

Gilbert Arenas addressed the media coverage of Doncic, Jokic, and Westbrook

Joey Linn

NBA Legend Slams Media's Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook Hypocrisy
NBA Legend Slams Media's Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Russell Westbrook Hypocrisy /
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LA Clippers guard Russell Westbrook won the 2017 league MVP, averaging 31.6 PPG, 10.7 RPG, and 10.4 APG for the Oklahoma City Thunder. While Westbrook was of course voted the league MVP for those numbers, he also received a lot of criticism throughout that season, with many national media members pushing a "stat-padding" narrative.

Westbrook has averaged a triple-double four different times in his career, and faced this narrative each time. Nobody in NBA history has averaged a triple-double more times than Westbrook has, and nobody in the NBA has done it since him.

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is currently averaging 26.1 PPG, 12.3 RPG, and 9.3 APG, and Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic is currently averaging 34.3 PPG, 9.5 APG, and 8.8 RPG. Both averaging close to a triple-double, neither Jokic nor Doncic have been able to reach Westbrook's 2017 averages, but one former NBA star feels they are getting more favorable media coverage than he did.

During a recent episode of Gil's Arena, NBA legend Gilbert Arenas said, "Russell Westbrook has a triple-double season, that's considered stat-padding. Jokic and Luka have almost a triple-double season, and that's 'Woo! So great! They almost got it, we should round up for them.' The f--k are we rounding up for when the person who actually got one, we're like, 'Eh.'"

Calling out what he feels is hypocrisy from the national media, Arenas believes Westbrook was held to different standards than Jokic and Doncic.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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