MY ACCOUNT
Russell Westbrook does not feel he has anything to prove as he made light of being booed by his own Los Angeles Lakers fans during Tuesday’s loss to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The nine-time NBA All-Star was benched in the fourth quarter for the second game running as the Lakers fell to a fifth defeat in seven outings, going down 131-116.
With nine minutes remaining at the Crypto.com Arena and his side down by 24 points, Westbrook was jeered after making two turnovers in the space of 12 seconds.
But Westbrook, who was traded to the Lakers from the Washington Wizards last August, is not letting the negative reaction get to him.
“It’s a sign of respect,” he said while smiling. “My mindset and how I think about this game and what I’ve been able to do for this game is not predicated on boos.
“I’ve a platform that I’m able to use to be able to do other things that God has blessed me to be able to do and I will continue to do those things.
“That’s regardless of whether people boo for me, cheer for me, cuss me out, call me names, it doesn’t really matter.
“The most important part is that I continue to use my gift to be able to play basketball and use that platform to be able to help other people around the world. That’s all I can do.”
Westbrook had 10 points off 3-of-11 shooting, 10 assists and four turnovers on another disappointing day for the Lakers’ former MVP.
He has 1,006 points for the season, a tally bettered only by LeBron James (1,103) among Lakers players.
But Westbrook’s 18.3 average through 55 games is his lowest since 2009-10, and down from the 31.6 managed with Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016-17 when crowned MVP.
However, responding to criticism regarding his loss of form, Westbrook said: “I shouldn’t have to prove anything to anyone, to be honest.
“I’ve put so much work into my game and I’ve earned so much respect in the league. I don’t have to prove anything to anyone.
“I’ve earned the right to be in the closing line-up standing.
“The numbers confirm it. I don’t have to go into it any further. But I don’t have to decide, that’s the decision of the coach. Unfortunately, I just have to see how I deal with it.”
Westbrook was on the court for just 26 minutes against the Bucks and suggested after the game he is not happy with Frank Vogel’s constantly changing line-ups.
“You never know when you’re coming in, you never know when you’re coming out,” he said. “You never know when you’re playing, you never know… a bunch of things.
“I’m speaking personally, so it’s a difficult process to be able to figure out and create some rhythm and some consistency where we can see what we’re able to do as a team.
“But those decisions are made by him and his coaching staff, and you’ve got to live with it and move on.”
