Former Washington Wizards Guard Russell Westbrook Gets into Another Fan Altercation

Former Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook got into another altercation with a fan in a game against the Denver Nuggets

Former Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook has always been a large proponent of standing up for the players, and himself, when fans cross the line.

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This time it was an extended conversation with a Crypto Areana patron in the waning moments of the Los Angeles Clippers loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook (4) goes to the basket against the Philadelphia 76ers during the third quarter in game five of the first round of the 2021 NBA Playoffs at Wells Fargo Center / Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

The situation was heated, and Westbrook had to be steered away by referee Lauren Holtkamp, Nuggets guard Justin Holiday and center DeAndre Jordan.

"Respect is a big thing that I value," Westbrook said after the game. " I stood for it for years and now my son is old enough to know what's going on and asks me 'Hey Dad, what does that mean or what's that?"

I asked Russell Westbrook if people underrate the adjustment of moving to the bench.

Russ: “Yeah. But I’m not one to make excuses… I just keep my faith in understanding my value and what I bring to the team. Every time I step on the floor I will give it everything I have.” pic.twitter.com/UH6vLLdiV2

— Joey Linn (@joeylinn_) November 28, 2023

It was a frustrating night all around for Los Angeles as they dropped a game to a Denver team missing their two best players.

This isn't the first time Westbrook has been in verbal blowouts with a fan.

Everyone seems to have an opinion on if the MVP guard is correct in calling fans out but rarely does the normal person come under the scrutiny that athletes come under.

"Obviously fans they pay their money to come to the game, so they feel like they have some entitlement to that," Clippers teammate forward Paul George said on the interaction. "When people come to work, they should be respected at their job... you don't have to necessarily be a fan of the player but there should be a line of respect."

They do get paid a lot of money and maybe it is part of the job, but there is a line when it comes to disrespecting someone as we are all humans. 

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We don't know what the fan said to Westbrook but there was a reason he responded.

Hopefully as we move into the future there can be better dialogue between fans and players on the conduct of their interactions.