LOS ANGELES (AFP) – Russell Westbrook said his family no longer attends Los Angeles Lakers games because of the relentless abuse directed at him by the team’s fans.
Westbrook has struggled to make an impact at the Lakers this season after joining the club last year, and is regularly subjected to heckling and catcalls during home games.
The 33-year-old former MVP has been dubbed “Westbrick” by sections of the Lakers support over his poor form.
On Monday, Westbrook’s wife Nina took to Twitter to speak out against the criticism, saying her family was subjected to “death wishes and “obscenities” on a daily basis.
Speaking after the Lakers’ loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Monday night, Westbrook said his family now avoided going to games in person.
“It affects them even going to games,” Westbrook said. “Like, I don’t even want to bring my kids to the game because I don’t want them to hear people calling their dad nicknames and other names for no reason because he’s playing the game that he loves.
“It’s gotten so bad where my family don’t even want to go to home games, to any game and it’s just super unfortunate.
“When it comes to basketball, I don’t mind the criticism of missing and making shots,” he said. “But the moment it becomes where my name is getting shamed, it becomes an issue.”
