Russell Westbrook squared off against the media following the Sacramento Kings’ 133-123 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. The loss saw them sit with the worst record in the league as they dropped to 14-50 on the season.
Westbrook recorded a double-double with 19 points and 10 assists in the game, and his postgame interaction with reporters didn’t go smoothly.
Russell Westbrook Confronts Media After Kings Suffer 50th Loss
It all started when Westbrook was asked what the team could accomplish, considering they are well out of the playoffs. The nine-time All-Star guard replied with a standard answer before he challenged members of the press about what they would do.
“You guys have a lot of opinions about how we do what we’re doing,” Westbrook said. “What you got? No, you. You make a lot of statements and broad statements that you have no context for, so where do you get your context from? Are you at practice? Are you at our film session? Are you anywhere around the building?”
“No, I haven’t seen you at practice, so the false context, and actually, do you know me? No, you don’t know me. You don’t know me, but you make a lot of comments, as all you do.”
The outburst didn’t end there, as the mercurial playmaker spoke about media coverage throughout his NBA career. “Your guys’ job is to talk about the game,” he added.
“What’s happening in the game. Not stir up a bunch of… I don’t wanna cuss here because I don’t wanna get fined, but stir up a lot of stuff here that’s not accurate, and that’s my problem. I’ve been a while. I’ve experienced a lot of times where people outside of our building, outside of our film session.”
Westbrook went on to say that some of the “false comments about the team” from the media had an impact on the locker room. He urged the reporters to respect the team and organization. “I ask you to respect what we do, and we’ll respect what you do…”
Westbrook’s Season Numbers With the Kings
The 37-year-old is on a one-year contract with the Kings and has played 59 games for the team this season. He averages 15.3 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.3 assists while shooting 43.0% from the field and 33.7% from the 3-point range.
The Kings have endured a difficult run this season. Their latest loss puts them at the bottom of the West. Up next, they play the Chicago Bulls on Sunday. As for Westbrook, he will look to help the Kings finish the remainder of the season with as many wins as possible.
