Kevin Durant once said about Russell Westbrook– “You are open to criticism when you don’t play well; we get that. But it’s like now you’re making him the b**t of your jokes.” Throughout his 16-year career, while the hooper has delivered exceptional averages, his fault in decision-making has resulted in avoidable turnovers. This, in turn, has put him on the end of the blame stick, something that his wife Nina Earl recently went viral for, after she defended him by getting into a ‘feud’ with an NFL star. Fortunately, Beastbrook’s supporters are not just limited to his wife and exist amongst both active and former hoopers.

1971 NBA champion and 12x All-Star Oscar Robertson, recently, touched base on Russell Westbrook. The veteran highlighted that it was unfortunate for the Nuggets star to receive so much criticism. While every team apparently needs a scapegoat to explain a loss, Robertson had to ask, “Why blame him, man? The guy’s effective for you. I mean, he kept the franchise in Oklahoma going for years.” Sympathizing with the player, he revealed once handing Westbrook a warning, even though he had delivered an exceptional performance the same night.

“I went out to see him in Oklahoma,” Robertson explained on the All the Smoke pod when revealing the aftermath of Westbrook’s triple-double season with the OKC Thunder. “I was happy for the guy. We were in a room by ourselves, talking. I said ‘I’m happy for you, but man’ I said ‘they’re going to turn on you. Because they’re going to expect you to do this every night and even if you do it you don’t win, they’re gonna blame you.’”

The 1964 MVP winner wanted to be there for him, even though Russell was a major threat to his legacy! For over 5 decades, the now 85-year-old hooper held the record for being the only individual to average a triple-double for a season. The 30.8 points, 12.5 rebounds, and 11.4 assists he made during the 1961-62 season was nothing short of impressive.

That all changed in the 2016-17 season when Russell Westbrook concluded his run, averaging 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists. To add salt to the wounds, that season also saw him make over 42 triple-doubles, surpassing the record (41) set by Oscar Robertson! Despite this, the retired star knew he had to give credit where it was due and divert the criticism when it was not needed.

Robertson’s praise comes just a few months after criticism of Westbrook had taken a new turn. In a segment of ESPN’s ‘Get Up’ ex-NFL star, Ryan Clark had taken it upon himself to provide a review of QB Lamar Jackson. He compared the footballer and the hooper. “You remember when he and Dame Lillard went head to head, and it got emotional. He couldn’t make a shot.”

This remark was enough to get a response out of Westbrook’s wife, Nina Earl, who went online and wrote, “My goodness! Just as a basketball fan, we couldn’t even wait for the NBA season to start up before the Russell slander begins?” Clark, in turn, clarified that he does respect the Nuggets star. His criticism was solely directed at the fact that the player had been unsuccessful at making a championship run, despite achieving individual success.

In light of all of this, no one can deny that the 2017 NBA MVP has faced his share of unwanted remarks. Therefore, while he may attempt to ignore those comments directed towards him, he chooses to speak out when others get criticized because of him.

Russell Westbrook defends teammate after jersey no. rumor: “Let’s please keep our young star alone”

After being traded to the Nuggets, it was announced that Russell Westbrook would be adopting the No. 4 jersey. This was an unexpected change, as the community was used to seeing 0 for 16 seasons, and no jersey was retired by the Denver side that bore the number. However, Christian Braun had taken the number for himself. Soon enough, rumors surfaced about how the decision of ‘who would wear what’ was made.

DNVR’s Harrison Wind reported that when Westbrook asked the youngster about wearing No. 0, Braun “didn’t budge.” This same report went viral, and the hooper had no choice but to speak out. “Let’s please leave our young star alone,” Westbrook wrote on his official Instagram story. “CB and I never discussed him passing along the number 0. I didn’t want to inquire about or request the number 0 because I chose to mark this new change with a ‘new’ number.”

Highlighting that the excitement of the new season has begun, Russell Westbrook didn’t want it to come at the cost of “many false stories.” When false narratives ran havoc, the hooper had several supporters on his side. By defending Christian Braun, he has shown that he is willing to do the same when the situation calls for it.

Before you go, remember to check out this crossover between BG12 and Georgia Bulldogs star Silas Demary Jr.