The Los Angeles Clippers star point guard, Russell Westbrook, is in his 15th year in the top flight of American basketball leagues, the NBA.
In these 15 years, he played for the Oklahoma City Thunder for the first 11 years after being picked fourth overall by the Seattle Supersonics in the 2008 NBA draft. Later, he moved to the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, and Los Angeles Lakers before joining his current team.
The frequent changes in recent history might indicate some irregularities in Russell’s performance, but his fans are not going to have it. In this context, Shannon Sharpe criticized his fans’ views in a derogatory manner.
What did Shannon Sharpe say regarding the fanbase of Russell Westbrook?
In the latest edition of ‘Undisputed’ with Skip Bayless, Sharpe pokes the 34-year-old’s fanbase and compares them with former US President Donald Trump’s fans.
“What I don’t get is this Trump-like support. He’s been on five teams in five years. So all of these teams were wrong?” The analyst wondered. “Everybody, the Lakers, the Wizards, the OKC, the Houston; everybody was wrong? To them, he’s never wrong.”
Shannon Sharpe on the support Russell Westbrook gets from fans and players:
“What I don’t get is this Trump-like support of Russ. He’s been on 5 teams in 5 years. So all of these teams are wrong? The Lakers, Wizards, Thunder, Rockets… everybody was wrong?”
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The veteran point guard established himself as one of the greatest players in his position in the NBA, yet he has struggled to settle in with a new team lately. However, his fanbase has always blamed the franchises for not recognizing the utility of the star he brings to the court.
The 6.3-footer has never won the championship title yet, but in 2017, he was named the most valuable player in the league. In addition, he was named all-star nine times, all-star game MVP twice, NBA assists leader three times, and scoring leader twice.
Westbrook has a stunning career stat by name: he has scored, on average, 22.4 points with 7.3 rebounds and 8.4 assists per game in 1081 appearances over the course of his 15-year career so far. However, lately, he fell off the starting roster but continued his impressive performance consistently.
The PG’s row with coaches might have pushed him to the bench, as well as his age, which is also a concerning factor, but the fans are never going to sit on the shortcomings of their idol and would rather blame the franchise. For this reason, Shannon took a shot at the star’s fanbase.
What do you think? Is Russell Westbrook a scapegoat here? Do you agree with Sharpe? Let us know your opinion in the comments.
