James Harden and Russell Westbrook spearheaded the Los Angeles Clippers to a thrilling 125-114 victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday. The first three-quarters of the game swayed toward the Nets in part due to a slow start from their primary offensive forces, Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. However, late in the fourth quarter, the Clippers surged from an 18-point deficit with an impressive 22-0 run.
Harden, a former Brooklyn star himself, led from the front with 24 points, 10 assists, and five rebounds while Westbrook averaged 23 points, nine rebounds, and six assists. However, Westbrook didn’t brag against the struggling Nets team as after the game he gave his jersey to their young 25-year-old star who later posted about it on his Instagram story to show Russ’s generosity.
Russell Westbrook makes his opponents’ day
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Lonnie Walker posted a story with Westbrook’s jersey in his hands, writing, “Always Love”. Walker played only ten minutes off the bench, yet contributed 8 points to the Net’s cause. Despite being up for three-quarters of the game, Kawhi Leonard took over in the fourth.
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In a stunning turnaround at Crypto.com Arena, Leonard was pivotal in leading the LA Clippers to an impressive comeback, overcoming a 17-point deficit against the Brooklyn Nets with a final score of 125-114. Despite battling illness, the two-time NBA champion showcased resilience, contributing 21 points, four rebounds, four assists, and one block to prevent his team from losing a home game.
This is not the first time Westbrook has done something magnanimous to a player. He is known to gift his teammates both materially and with his time to help navigate life and their stay in the league. Despite his kindness, he has been at the center of attack from fans all through his sixteen years in the NBA, and last year he spoke about being hated across the league.
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Russell Westbrook, a consistent target for disrespectful fans
In his long career, Russ has often been a subject of ridicule from fans of opposing teams and he has engaged in multiple verbal battles with fans. For instance, in Philadelphia, obscene gestures were made at Westbrook in 2016, and again, in 2021, pop-corn thrown at him in the “City of brotherly love”.
While this has been long going, Westbrook has had to put his foot down in recent months when fans started mocking his surname. Speaking on the incident, he said to reporters, “I tell people, man, when I was first starting in the league, maybe not so much, I used to get into it a little bit. But now having kids and understanding how important it is, not just myself, but my last name. Understanding what Westbrook means, understanding how important that is to my dad, my grandfather, my family …”
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While fans mocking him may not stop, Russell Westbrook continues to keep up his on-court and off-gestures as a player and human being. What are your thoughts on this? Let us know in the comments!
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