Tag: Russell Westbrook

11 former UCLA Bruins make the playoffs for NBA teams

A lot of familiar faces in the NBA Playoffs.

It is no secret that UCLA has a decorated history of producing NBA talent. From Bill Walton to Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, there is no shortage of all-time players who played for the Bruins. This season, a whopping eleven players from the UCLA pipeline made the NBA playoffs.

Among those making the post-season are Lonzo Ball, Kyle Anderson, Jaylen Clark, Jrue Holiday, Jaime Jaquez Jr., Zach Lavine, Kevon Looney, Kevin Love, Norman Powell, Russell Westbrook, and Peyton Watson. The long list of former Bruins speaks to the program’s ability to churn out NBA talent.

For veterans Russell Westbrook and Kevin Love, who played together at UCLA, this could be their final NBA playoffs, with both trying to take home the title.

With the eleven players representing seven teams, there is a good chance that at least one of the former Bruins will hoist the Larry O’Brien trophy by the end of the season. The question is, who will it be?

Russell Westbrook argued with a heckler who was bizarrely wearing a balloon hat on his head

This was so intense you might not have noticed the balloon hat.

Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook had a heated interaction with a fan at Spectrum Center in Charlotte.

Westbrook, who recently returned from an extended absence due to a left hand injury, approached someone who had attended the game between the Clippers and Hornets.

According to reporter Jeremy Grandison, who captured a video of the exchange, the person at the game was heckling Westbrook during the first half of the game. As a result, the former MVP decided to talk to the fan. It was so intense that you may not notice the fan was wearing a balloon hat.

WARNING: Some language in the video might not be safe for work.

Unfortunately, this happens all too frequently with Westbrook.

We have seen that he gets especially upset when anyone shows disrespect for his name or his family.

But this is the first time that we have seen Westbrook have such a heated back and forth with someone who was wearing a balloon hat on his head.

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Former Bruin Russell Westbrook invests in Los Angeles community

All class by Russell Westbrook.

A former UCLA Bruin made a big play off the court this week.

In an Instagram post, the current Los Angeles Clipper and City of Angels native Russell Westbrook announced that he is investing in his community. Reportedly building 180 affordable housing units in South Central Los Angeles, Westbrook is giving back to the city he calls home.

The new housing project is centered around “surrounded by community-centered businesses and anchored by the target.”

In an attempt to have resources easily accessible to the public, the new housing that Westbrook will build looks to create community and promote local business in and around the area.

A member of the UCLA Athletics Hall of Fame, in his two seasons in Westwood, Westbrook took the Bruins to two consecutive Final Fours in 2007 and 2008.

Playing for UCLA, the Clippers, and the Los Angeles Lakers, Westbrook is an icon in southern California, and his recent investment in the community should only heighten that fact.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addresses comparisons to former Thunder trio

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander addresses comparisons to former Thunder trio.

Slowly building one of the association’s best cores over the last few years, the Oklahoma City Thunder have burst onto the scene as a title contender despite their young roster this season.

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has turned into an MVP candidate while Jalen Williams and Chet Holmgren round out one of the best trios in the league.

The numbers the Thunder have put up — top five in net rating, offensive rating and defensive rating — have been mostly unprecedented due to their youth and inexperience.

Barring the unforeseen, this is likely the beginning of a lengthy competitive window for the Thunder as they return to contention following a short stay in a rebuild.

Ironically enough, the only real comparison with similar circumstances involved the first iteration of the Thunder. A youthful trio of Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden led OKC to an NBA Finals appearance in 2012. All three were 23 years old and younger.

Following that, the Thunder were title contenders for several years and reached four Western Conference finals in six years.

When asked about the comparison between the two trios, Gilgeous-Alexander said their version is trying to achieve similar success the first iteration had in their time with the Thunder.

“There’s three of them and there’s three of us that are obviously a talented group of guys. But I don’t really think our game compares to theirs,” Gilgeous-Alexander said. “Those guys are obviously three amazing basketball players and have done amazing things with this game and have changed the game forever.”

While it’s unlikely Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Williams each win an MVP in their careers, there’s a real possibility they enjoy collective success in OKC as Durant, Westbrook and Harden did.

“Me, Chet and Dub are three kids just trying to get better. Trying to chase some of the things that they achieved and try to ultimately win an NBA championship,” Gilgeous-Alexander continued. “There’s three guys that are the head of the snake just like how it was before.”

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NBA buyout season: The most successful pickups of the century

HoopsHype ranks the best buyout player signings in this century of NBA history.

Following every trade deadline, many veterans are bought out and subsequently join teams with championship aspirations. The buyout market can be important for teams in need of another piece to make a run in the playoffs.

Although the new Collective Bargaining Agreement poses challenges for luxury tax teams, expect several veterans to secure buyouts and sign with contenders soon.

Let’s review the most impactful buyout signings of this century.

LeBron James, Lakers admit they misjudged the Russell Westbrook trade

It appears everyone in the Lakers organization β€” including LeBron James β€” has learned from the failed Russell Westbrook experiment.

The Los Angeles Lakers were expected to be serious championship contenders when they traded for Russell Westbrook in the summer of 2021. Instead, they ended up winning 33 games and failed to reach the play-in tournament.

There were many reasons for that failure. Westbrook either couldn’t fit in or was not utilized properly. The rest of the roster consisted of over-the-hill role players. And LeBron James and Anthony Davis both spent extended stretches on the injured list. Yet Westbrook ended up as the scapegoat, at least publicly.

By now, everyone agrees trading for Westbrook was a mistake. Reportedly, that includes every member of the Lakers organization, even James (h/t Lakers Daily).

Via ESPN:

β€œSources told ESPN that every member of the organization involved in the Russell Westbrook trade, including James, will admit they misjudged it, owning part of the blame,” Dave McMenamin wrote.

James reportedly was the impetus behind the Lakers trading for Westbrook. But by the middle of the 2021-22 campaign, his camp was reportedly pushing for Westbrook to be traded.

The Lakers ended up trading Westbrook last February in a package that brought them D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley. Almost immediately, they went from mediocrity to championship contention, and they rode that momentum all the way to the Western Conference finals.

Report: Lakers fired Frank Vogel for not integrating Russell Westbrook

Were the Lakers right to fire Frank Vogel as head coach at the end of the 2021-22 season?

When the Los Angeles Lakers traded for future Hall of Fame guard Russell Westbrook in the summer of 2021, it was a move many believed made them the favorites to at least reach the NBA Finals.

But due to many reasons, the Lakers sputtered loudly throughout the 2021-22 season, resulting in a 33-49 finish. They failed to qualify for the play-in tournament.

Just after the conclusion of their final regular-season game, word leaked out to the media that the team had decided to fire head coach Frank Vogel. Vogel was in his third season at the helm of the Purple and Gold and had led them to the NBA championship in 2020.

His firing still seems somewhat mysterious, and some believed he was made into a scapegoat by the organization. According to Sam Amick, Vogel was dismissed because owner Jeanie Buss felt he didn’t successfully integrate Westbrook (h/t The Cold Wire).

Starting in the middle of that ill-fated season, Lakers fans called for Westbrook to be traded. After L.A. tried him in a sixth-man role early last season, it finally sent him out in a three-team deal that brought it D’Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley.

Once the trade was made, it went 18-9 the rest of the way and reached the Western Conference finals. As one source put it, albeit in an acerbic fashion, Westbrook leaving was akin to removing “a vampire from the locker room.”

After leaving the Lakers, Westbrook joined the Los Angeles Clippers, and he has seemingly played better since. He has also seemed happier and is playing more freely than he ever did with the Purple and Gold.

The remaining active NBA players from each draft class between 2003 and 2010

It is truly remarkable that LeBron is still playing as well as he does.

With each passing season, more and more players in the previous generation of the NBA are graduating into retirement.

Some of the most recognizable and dominant players of a beloved era (e.g. Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, Chris Bosh, Dwight Howard, etc.) have recently ended their professional playing careers.

As the league begins to look increasingly different every year, we decided to look at which players drafted before 2011 are still active in the league. There are only 30 players who fit those qualifications and only 19 have started more than one game this season.

Here is a look at each NBA draft class and who remains active years later.

All data is provided via Stathead and is accurate as of publishing.

The 10 best Christmas Day performances in OKC Thunder history

The Thunder have a rich history of Christmas Day performances. Here are the best 10 individual games:

It’s Christmas, which means the NBA will have a full slate of games that’ll take place throughout the day.

Playing on Christmas is a privilege in the NBA: It is arguably the biggest day of the regular season. Only elite teams and markets get a chance to play on Dec. 25.

The Oklahoma City Thunder are familiar with playing on Christmas. They played on the holiday for nine consecutive years (2010-2018) when they had superstars Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Paul George.

Expect OKC to play on Christmas for the foreseeable future as the trio of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Chet Holmgren and Jalen Williams opens a new window of contention.

Until then though, let’s reflect and view the nine best Christmas performances from Thunder players.

‘It’s like home for me’: Russell Westbrook talks warm welcome in Thunder’s win over Clippers

‘It’s like home for me’: Russell Westbrook talks warm welcome in Thunder’s win over Clippers.

As long as Russell Westbrook remains an NBA player, he’ll always receive a warm welcome from the OKC crowd.

That continued to be the case in the Oklahoma City Thunder’s 134-115 win over the LA Clippers on Thursday. Even though he last played for the Thunder in 2019, the future Hall-of-Famer continues to be adored by OKC fans.

When he checked into the game, Westbrook received a loud ovation from a very active crowd. The 35-year-old had 15 points, 13 rebounds and four assists in 30 minutes off the bench.

When asked about his reception, Westbrook spoke fondly of the Thunder’s crowd and called them the best fans in the world when he talked to local reporters after the game.

“Best (fans) in the world. It’s like home for me to be honest. I grew up here and they welcomed me and my family with open arms,” Westbrook said. “They gave me everything they had every night, and I did the same and I’m grateful.”

The relationship between Westbrook and Thunder fans is a special one. After playing in OKC for the first 11 seasons of his career, the bond he built with the fan base will be everlasting.

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