Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook (18) looks to the baseline.
Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook (18) looks to the baseline.
The Sacramento Kings suffered a 125–101 loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night, dropping to an 8-24 record and falling just half a game above the Western Conference-worst New Orleans Pelicans (8-25) in the standings.
Most of the attention, however, centered on what happened off the court late in the game because of a Russell Westbrook interaction with a Lakers fan sitting courtside.
With 1:52 remaining in the fourth quarter and during a coach’s challenge, the Kings guard had that fan ejected from Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena after being taunted from the front row.
Westbrook was subbed out of the game at the 3:11 mark and was on the Kings’ bench when the verbal exchange occurred. It is unclear what the fan told Westbrook, but a security member quickly intervened after Westbrook’s reaction and removed the fan from the venue.
This was not the first time Westbrook responded to fan taunts. Earlier this month, Westbrook had a Miami Heat fan ejected for calling him “boy” during a game.
Westbrook publicly explained back in 2022, when playing for the Lakers, why wrong nicknames, namely “Westbrick,” bother him, calling it an insult to his name and family.
“‘Westbrick’ for example, to me, is now shaming,” Westbrook said at the time. “It’s shaming my name, my legacy for my kids. It’s a name that means, not just to me, but to my wife, to my mom, my dad, the ones that kind of paved the way for me.”
Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook (18). — Source: Sergio Estrada-Imagn Images
On the floor Sunday, Westbrook finished with 15 points on 6-of-17 shooting. He was minus-17 in 26 minutes, with five assists, four rebounds, one steal and three turnovers.
Westbrook was coming off a milestone game on Saturday, as the 18-year veteran passed LA Lakers legend Magic Johnson on the NBA’s all-time assists list with his 10,142nd career dime. He’s now at 10,153 and sitting seventh in the historic leaderboard.
The Kings will stay in Los Angeles to face the LA Clippers on Tuesday, while the Lakers improved to a 20-10 record and will next play the Detroit Pistons on New Year’s Eve.