Things get heated between Russell Westbrook and Utah Jazz fans again. “I’ll f*ck you up. You and your wife,” he says. Not sure what these fans said to him, but he also had issues with Jazz fans during the postseason. pic.twitter.com/LquwRmLVNy
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) March 12, 2019
Russell Westbrook threatened a female fan and her male companion when the Oklahoma City Thunder player got into another heated exchange with Utah spectators during an NBA game on Monday.
The confrontation between Westbrook and the Jazz fans was caught on video and posted to social media.
“I swear to God. I will fuck you up, you and your wife. I will fuck you up,” Westbrook said.
It was unclear from the video what the Jazz hecklers said to initiate the profanity-laced response from Westbrook but the player said he heard a racial slur.
Westbrook was not penalized by the game officials in the Thunder’s 98-89 victory in front of a crowd of 18,300 at Vivint Smart Home Arena. Westbrook finished with a near triple double, 23 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists.
Oklahoma City Thunder’s Russell Westbrook gets into a heated verbal altercation with fans in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Utah Jazz, Monday, March 11, 2019, in Salt Lake City. (AP Photo/Rick Bowmer)
Westbrook issued a statement after the game to reporters but declined to answer questions.
“The young man and his wife in the stands told me to get down on my knees like you used to,” Westbrook said. “And for me that is completely disrespectful. I think it is racial. It is inappropriate.
“There are people that come to the games to say mean disrespectful things about me and my family. For many years I have done all the right things and never done anything to hurt or harm anybody. Never been in any trouble. Never fought a fan.”
The incident was similar to another outburst from Westbrook in the final of last year’s first round playoff series in Utah.
Russell Westbrook explains the verbal altercation he had with Jazz fans during tonight's game, saying fans told him “to get down on my knees like you used to.” (via @espn_macmahon) pic.twitter.com/aObvg6ZuPT
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) March 12, 2019
“Here in Utah, man, a lot of disrespectful, vulgar things are said to the players here with these fans,” Westbrook said at the time. “It’s truly disrespectful. Talk about your families, your kids.”
The NBA’s worst incident between players and fans took place during a 2004 brawl between Indiana Pacers players and Detroit Piston spectators which resulted in nine players being suspended.
The brawl started with 46 seconds left in a game in Detroit and began with Pistons centre Ben Wallace and Pacers forward Ron Artest getting tangled up. A fight broke out between the players.
After the fight was broken up, Artest charged into the stands to confront a fan that had thrown a drink at him.
That sparked a massive brawl between players and a number of fans that lasted several minutes. Artest ended up with an 86-game suspension and Wallace got six games.