Russell Westbrook hadn’t played a single minute for the Los Angeles Lakers and he was already drawing contrasting takes.
Several analysts said that he wasn’t a good fit next to LeBron James and Anthony Davis and that trading away their team’s depth for a non-shooting, ball-dominant guard wasn’t a recipe for success.
Fast-forward to today and Westbrook has done little to silence those critics. If anything, he’s made the news for what he’s done on the court, but not exactly basketball-related.
Westbrook's 'Cripwalk' Goes Viral
Westbrook became viral for getting hyped during the Lakers’ 113-101 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers a couple of days ago.
The former MVP was taking the ball up the floor when ‘G’d Up’ by Tha Eastsidaz went on at the STAPLES Center. He crossed midcourt by Cripwalking and dribbling the ball and the internet had a blast with it.
Westbrook, born and raised in Los Angeles, clearly wanted to pay homage to his roots now that he’s finally playing for his home team.
Mid-Game Dancing
Needless to say, people had plenty to say about Westbrook’s little act, which is why he didn’t hesitate to just clear the air and explain what was going through his mind:
“All I heard was the music and I was like, ‘Oh, this is my joint right here.’ This is my …’ And then my feet start moving. That’s just how it works with me. So, I love to dance and it’s something that I kind of enjoy doing. So, it kind of happened in the middle of the game but, you know, enjoying it. But that also goes to what I mentioned after that game about just our swag and my energy. That’s who I am and in order for us to be who we need to be, I need to be who I am and be free and do things where, to me, it feels normal," the point guard said, according to Yahoo! Sports.
Russ' Performances Draw Criticism
Westbrook knows that some people aren’t exactly fond of his game, let alone him dancing right in the middle of a game. However, he’s unfazed by criticism:
“And I’m OK with that. But that brings a good energy to my team and my teammates, and it puts us in a happy place. I always remember, throughout a season and throughout a game, you always want to make sure you’re having fun — win, lose or draw. Because if you’re not, it kind of becomes — for me personally — I get so tense. If I’m just super focused and not having no fun then I lose track of kind of what I’m supposed to be doing. So that also is a combination of all that, just having fun, smiling and enjoying the game," he added, per Fadeaway World.
Lakers Still Figuring Things Out
It’s going to take a while before the Lakers are all on the same page. They didn’t play together for most of the preseason and some pieces are still out with injuries.
Even so, and even after a dismal start of the season, his teammates have Westbrook’s back:
“They just said, ‘That’s just me being me.’ You know, I like to joke and enjoy the game and have fun while doing it. But also at the same time, I’m going to compete to the best of my ability and that’s just all kind of who I am. And I think some of them didn’t notice it right away and after the game everybody was like, ‘Oh, I didn’t realize you did this throughout the game.’ I was like, ‘Yep, we needed it today’," Westbrook concluded.
As per usual, it’s championship-or-bust for the purple and gold this season. Hopefully, they’ll figure things out before it’s too late.
]]>The Inquisitr
