Russell Westbrook Gets Lakers Fan Kicked Out for Taunting Him

Sacramento Kings point guard Russell Westbrook didn’t take kindly to a Los Angeles Lakers fan calling him “Westbrick” during the closing moments of Sunday’s game at the Crypto.com Arena.

Westbrook, who was taunted with the same chants during his infamous one-and-a-half-year run with the Lakers, got Sunday’s culprit ejected from the arena.

The incident occurred with 1:52 left in the fourth quarter when the Lakers had a massive 122-99 lead. It’s worth noting that both coaches had already emptied their benches, with Westbrook leaving the game at the 3:11 mark. However, the Kings star was fed up with a fan at courtside taunting him while he sat on the bench.

Westbrook shot 6-of-17 from the field, including 1-of-5 from three, as the Kings suffered a 125-101 blowout loss to his former team. The veteran guard was a -17 on the floor.

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Why Russell Westbrook Hates the Chant

Sunday’s game marked the latest instance of Westbrook getting a fan ejected for calling him “Westbrick.” The future Hall of Famer similarly got a member of the audience ejected from the arena during a game against the Miami Heat earlier this month.

Westbrook has previously spoken about why he despises the “Westbrick” moniker, as it disrespects his family lineage and legacy.

“‘Westbrick’ for example, to me, is now shaming,” Westbrook said back in 2022, in response to Lakers fans taunting him with the nickname.

“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.”

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Passes Magic Johnson on Assists List

The unfortunate incidents of Sunday notwithstanding, Westbrook had a lot of reason to celebrate over the weekend as he surpassed Magic Johnson’s mark of 10,141 assists on the NBA’s all-time leaderboard. “The Brodie” now has 10,153 assists and is less than 200 dimes from leapfrogging Mark Jackson and Steve to fifth all-time.

Growing up in Southern California, Westbrook idolized Magic Johnson, making his feat on Saturday all the more surreal.

“It’s an honor,” he said of passing Johnson, via BasketNews.

“Magic is one of the greats. I mentioned this a little earlier, but yes, Magic did a lot of great things on the court. Growing up in inner-city Los Angeles, Magic also did a lot for the underserved and continues to do so, something I’ve modeled and wanted to make sure the philanthropy side was done.

“For him, that’s something I’m grateful to be able to pass him in, because he’s such a legend in so many different ways, and I’m grateful to be able to pass him now.”

Sai Mohan covers the NBA for Heavy.com. Based in Portugal, Sai is a seasoned sports writer with nearly two decades of publishing experience, including bylines at Yardbarker, FanSided’s Hoops Habit, International Business Times, Hindustan Times and more. More about Sai Mohan