“We couldn’t even wait for the NBA season to start before the Russell slander begins?” said Nina Westbrook, in response to the recent Russell Westbrook public shame. The former MVP has gone through a lot of scrutiny in recent times parallel to his slump on the court. Notably, former NFL player Ryan Clark recently publicly shamed Russ with a controversial take. However, the newest Denver Nuggets member received support from former NBA player and now, Josh Hart has come to his rescue.

In the last few months, Westbrook remained off the radar apart from hitting the headlines over his Nuggets trade. Yes, of course, it’s the NBA off-season. However, sports analysts had to run their show, and Beastbrook’s name went for a toss. Former Super Bowl Champ, Ryan Clark, irked a controversy when he negatively compared Russ to Lamar Jackson. Anyway, before we go read anything further about the ESPN analyst’s comments, let’s find out how the New York Knicks star sought revenge.

Ryan Clark recently shared a video clip of him impersonating Inside Guys Kenny Smith’s run during his live football analysis. The 44-year-old also added, “Had to run to the screen like Kenny Smith to talk about @JayD__5’s big night!” along with the video. While Clark intended it with humor, it didn’t sit well with Josh Hart. The Knicks guard defended both Smith and Russell Westbrook in one go, writing, ” “They do simple things like run straight” someone get Mr. Britt a map and PR lessons,” with a flurry of laughing emojis. 

Ryan Clark seriously seemed to have offended an Inside Guys fan with his Kenny Smith slander. The NBA legend Jet has suffered joint damage from osteoarthritis and finds it difficult to run sometimes on the show. And Clark dared to mock it and in return received a dig from Hart. Now that Hart has done his duty, let’s find out about others who defended Russ.

Nina & Gilbert Arenas stood up for Russell Westbrook

Firstly, let’s clarify what Ryan Clark had said about Russ. The ESPN analyst said, “Lamar Jackson right now is like Russell Westbrook. We watch Russell Westbrook throughout the regular season have these great statistical games… But you remember when he and Dame Lillard went head to head, and it got emotional. He couldn’t make a shot.” Basically, he dragged the star out of nowhere to point out his slump.

Notably, Westbrook hasn’t had a great run in the last few seasons, struggling to match his own standards. In the last season, he had a career-low performance, averaging 11.1 ppg and 5 rpg. Not to forget his fracture, which kept him away from the game. Moreover, in the 2024 postseason, he had an embarrassing outing, averaging 6.3 points with 26.0% FG.

Nevertheless, it was too early to write off a player even before the start of the fresh season. That’s what Nina Westbrook pointed out and also added, “The only comparison to be made between Russell and Lamar is that they’re both unicorns and amazing at what they do,” on her IG comments. Later, Westbrook shared it on his IG stories.

On the other hand, Gilbert Arenas extended his support, saying, “It was like they were trying to discredit his triple-doubles because it was too easy for him… While trying to say hey these stats aren’t really real. You became disrespectful to the man who was doing it.” Nevertheless, these defenses will only stand until the start of the season. Following that, the star point guard has to bat for himself. Will Russell Westbrook shine with his new role at Denver? Let us know in the comments below.

Before leaving, do watch the Dual Threat Show hosted by BG12 where Bulldogs’ Asia Avinger details her experience with Kobe Bryant, her WNBA ROTY picks, and more in the video below.