The negative chatter surrounding the Los Angeles Lakers’ offseason aquisition of Russell Westbrook hit a fever pitch Friday night, as the polarizing star delivered another sub-par performance in the Lakers’ 24-point loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Despite leading 49-44 at halftime, L.A. was outscored 40-12 in the third quarter, with Westbrook scoring just three points to go along with his three turnovers. However, it was Westbrook’s behavior following the game that has sparked outrage on NBA Twitter.
During the postgame press conference — while teammate Anthony Davis handled the loss like a professional, calling the team’s performance “embarrassing”— Russ seemed to be more interested in looking down at his phone than answering the media’s questions.
Ryan Ward, a reporter for Lakers Nation, took to Twitter on Friday to call out Westbrook for antics: “Call me crazy, but I think it’s just a bit disrespectful to look at your phone during an entire postgame interview, especially after getting blown out,” Ward wrote. “Just me, I guess. Manners. What a concept.”
From there, NBA Twitter sounded off about Russ’ “disrespectful” behavior. Scroll down to see the best reactions to Westbrook’s press conference following Friday’s game.
