Former NBA star Russell Westbrook is still a topic of debate among fans for his place in the league. The 37-year-old ended his 18-year career with nine All-Star appearances, nine All-NBA selections, three assist titles, and two scoring titles. 

Patrick Beverley does not believe Westbrook left because he was no longer good enough. Beverley was once Westbrook’s rival before becoming his teammate in Los Angeles.

“I think the media is so strong that it allowed fans to call him names. It allowed fans to have opinions about his game, which also forced team owners, GMs, presidents to look at him a certain way”, Patrick Beverley said, as per NBA Retweet on X.

He feels the constant media talk around Westbrook may have hurt his image and affected how fans and NBA teams viewed the veteran guard.

An NBA Retweet post on X shared Beverley’s comments, in which Beverley’s point is not just about Westbrook’s performance on the court.

He believes the constant talk about Westbrook changed how NBA teams viewed him. In his view, that perception may have affected teams’ decisions about signing him.

Beverley then made a direct comparison between Westbrook and Lonnie Walker, who has been a teammate of both players.

“When you talk about guards that’s in the NBA, and it’s no disrespect to guys that’s on current teams, but when you see Lonnie Walker, and it’s no disrespect to Lonnie Walker, he’s a good friend of mine, but if he can make a NBA team, Russell Westbrook can make an NBA team without a doubt.”

Beverley was not trying to criticize Walker. Instead, he used the comparison to show that he believes Westbrook still had enough talent to earn a spot on an NBA roster.

Westbrook’s Legacy Still Speaks for Itself

The Basketball Network report by Jonas Panerio also showed Beverley’s respect for Westbrook’s career. Even though they had a long history of conflict, Beverley called Westbrook a special point guard. He praised his athleticism, energy, and skills.

Westbrook’s stats also support Beverley’s view. He averaged a triple-double in four of five seasons after winning the MVP award in 2016-17. He became one of the players most linked with the triple-double.

Westbrook also stayed productive after moving to a bench role. The report says he averaged 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists for Sacramento last season.

He also finished seventh in Sixth Man of the Year voting during his time with the Clippers and Nuggets.

Written by

Kapil Manghnani

Kapil Manghnani brings over 4.5 years of experience in sports journalism, covering a wide range of sports, including Soccer, NHL, Tennis, Gymnastics, NASCAR, Swimming, and more. He has written for leading sports platforms, producing everything from breaking news and features to in-depth analysis, opinion pieces, long-form stories, and short-form content. Beyond articles, he has also scripted long-form storytelling videos for YouTube channels. His work focuses on delivering well-researched, engaging, and reader-first sports content across multiple formats.

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Edited by

Rudra Dubey