Triple legend Oscar Robertson has defended Russell Westbrook's legacy and doesn't think his current treatment by the NBA's greater community is fair.
In 2021 while with the Wizards, Westbrook surpassed Robertson's career record for triples with 182.
Hall-of-Famer Robertson talked about the private conversation he had with Westbrook in OKC before he broke the record.
“I went out to see him in Oklahoma. I was happy boy. I wanted to tell you this, we were in the house alone talking,” said Robertson All Smoke a podcast. “I said 'I'm happy for you man, but they're going to turn on you'.” I said 'They're going to turn on you because they're going to expect you to do this every night. And if you do this but don't succeed, they will blame you.'”
Robertson also talked about how Westbrook's reputation as an NBA player has diminished rapidly over the past few seasons.
“It's unfortunate for Westbrook that they did some of these things to him,” Robertson said. “I think this guy is important to any team he's in but somehow they want to blame someone. Why blame him, the boy works for you. He kept the franchise in Oklahoma going for years. “
Stephen Jackson added, “Russell Westbrook has that drive, he's got that passion. You can't really teach a boy to want to do everything on the court, it has to be up to you.”
Before the season started, Russ became the target of public scrutiny, with an NFL analyst calling him out and his wife having to step in and publicly call out an ESPN employee.
Gilbert Arenas is another former player who recently defended Russ and his legacy.
The guard is starting a new NBA chapter with the Nuggets and even if he is not the player he once was, he can still contribute to the team. At least Denver hopes so.
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