So, how did ESPN analyst Stephen A. Smith react to the performance?
“I don’t give a damn about any of it,” Smith said Tuesday in a video segment titled “Stephen A. doesn’t care about Westbrook’s big night.” OK, then!
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Smith rattled off the great teammates who have played alongside Westbrook and asked, “Where is the [championship] to show for it?” Smith praised Westbrook for his competitive fire and leadership, but he criticized the nine-time All-Star for never developing a consistent 3-point shot. He reiterated his stance on ESPN’s “First Take.”
“Westbrook’s numbers last night mean absolutely nothing to me because, even though that’s great numbers, that’s what Westbrook can do,” Smith said. “We all know this. He’s a former league MVP. He’s the most athletic point guard we have ever seen in NBA history. … I’m at a point in time in his career where it’s like — it ain’t about that no more. It’s about whether or not you can get to another level to win the [championship].”
After seeing Smith’s monologue, Westbrook’s wife, Nina, fired back on Instagram, saying that Westbrook is the “happiest he’s ever been.” She added that Westbrook doesn’t feel “hurt” because he has not won a title, as Smith claimed.
“You know nothing about him,” Nina said. “If you did, you’d know that he is way, way, way more than a championship. He is a champion of life. A champion of his people. He doesn’t care about YOUR championship, and certainly not YOUR opinion. He cares about his people, his community and trying to make the world a better place.”
During his Tuesday night media availability, Westbrook offered his own response.
Westbrook’s full comments:
Smith then addressed what Nina and Russell said during Wednesday’s edition of “First Take.”
I sit back. I don’t say much. I don’t like to go back and forth about people. But one thing I won’t allow to happen anymore is let people create narratives and constantly just talking s— for no reason about me because I lay it on the line every night. And I use my platform to be able to help people all across the world. Nobody can take that away from me. I’ve been blessed to be able to have a platform to do it. Like I said before, a championship don’t change my life. I’m happy. I was a champion once I made it to the NBA. Like, I grew up in the streets. I’m a champion. I don’t have to be an NBA champion. I know many people that got NBA championships that’s miserable, have done nothing for their community, have done nothing for the people in our world.
For me, man, my legacy, like I mentioned before, is not based on what I do on this court. I’m not going to play basketball my whole life. My legacy is what I do off the floor, how many people I’m able to impact and inspire along my journey, man. That’s how I keep my head down and keep it pushing because it’s very important that you don’t let the negativity seep in. Because it’s been like that my whole career, honestly. There’s no other player that kind of takes the heat that I take constantly. But I take it as a positive because obviously I’m doing something right if people are talking about me. And that’s how I feel, and I [put] my best foot forward, stay prayful, keep my family close and keep it like that.
“Russell Westbrook is as real, as authentic as they get,” Smith said. “He gives to his community. He cares about his people. He addresses social justice issues. He gives voices to the voiceless. He’s charitable. He’s philanthropic. He’s, by all accounts, a great man, a great leader, a great husband, a great father, a great family man.
“Russell Westbrook, regardless of his mean and acerbic demeanor at times, is one of the best people, the most real, straight-up, authentic people you will ever see in your life. I respect the hell out of the man. What does that have to do with your game?”
