On March 7, Nina Westbrook, Russell Westbrook’s wife, shared on Twitter that their family has been getting death threats on social media because of Russell’s performance in games. The Los Angeles Lakers player and his wife have 3 children together.
Nina, 33, expressed to social media followers that she’s “being harassed on a daily basis over basketball games” and added that fans have been sending “obscenities and death wishes for me and my family.”
“This is not a game to me. Basketball is a game. This is my life, my children’s lives, and my family’s life. Shaming anyone for any reason is never the answer,” she added.
After seeing how the harassment is affecting his wife, Russell decided to address the issue during a post-game press conference.
“I 100% stand behind my wife and how she is feeling. When it comes to basketball, I don’t mind the criticism of missing and making shots. But, the moment it becomes where my name is getting shamed, it becomes an issue.”
Additionally, he says the harsh comments he has been receiving started bothering him when he saw how proud his son was of his last name. “…and the teacher told me that Noah is so proud of his last name. He writes it everywhere… he tells everybody, ‘I’m Westbrook.’”
Lately, fans have been calling him, “Westbrick.”
He also stated that he stopped his family from going to some games and will now respond back when he receives criticism.