Earlier this week, Russell Westbrook and his wife Nina revealed their family has received death threats and admitted how much it has affected them, especially on an emotional level.
Westbrook also complained about people shaming his name and calling him, for instance, “Westbrick” and how much that has affected his family.
It seems not many people feel sympathy toward the Westbrook household in that context, even though death threats are inexcusable in any situation.
One fellow star athlete who is on the “no sympathy for Westbrook” bus is Hall of Fame NFL tight end and Fox Sports 1 personality Shannon Sharpe.
On his show “Undisputed: Skip and Shannon,” he criticized Westbrook for his public comments regarding what he has had to deal with from fans.
“Zero,” Sharpe said when asked how much sympathy he has for Westbrook. “Play better. They didn’t call him boy. They didn’t call him a monkey, ape, didn’t make gestures like that, didn’t say the N-word, did not say any of that. They called him Westbrick, because what has transpired this year is that seems like everything that he shoots is a brick.”
Westbrook’s play this season hasn’t been what the Lakers and their fans expected when he was traded to L.A. last summer.
His shooting has been up and down. Although he has done a great job of limiting his turnovers over the past two months, he hasn’t been pulling his weight as much or as often as he has needed to.
Yes, it is hyperbole to blame the majority of the Lakers’ struggles this season on Westbrook. But it is fair to criticize him for his shortcomings on the court, especially when he doesn’t play up to his standards.
On Wednesday against the Houston Rockets, he responded by letting his game do the talking. The former MVP posted an efficient 30 points along with eight rebounds and six assists.
But his great game went up in smoke as L.A. fell in overtime, 139-130.
