“Watch out, motherf***er!”: Russell Westbrook gets into a furious clash with a Phoenix Suns fan in the middle of the opening game of the playoffs… before claiming victory in Game 1 with his LA Clippers side on the street
Russell Westbrook angrily confronted a fan at halftime before his LA Clippers side earned the win in Game 1 against the Phoenix Suns at Footprint Arena.
The nine-time All-Star was seen feuding with a man in a Suns polo shirt and cap as he returned to the court after the break.
It is not known what the man said to the player to start the argument, but when Westbrook leaned forward and spoke to him, he rose to meet the player at his level.
A security guard held his ground between the two, but he couldn’t stop the words that flew between the two men, with Westbrook audibly telling the viewer to “watch out.”
He counters that Westbrook should take his comments “like a man,” before Westbrook snapped back, “Watch your mouth, motherfucker!”
Rusell Westbrook was involved in an angry confrontation with a Suns fan in Game 1 of the Clippers’ playoff campaign
The nine-time All-Star was visibly upset before heading back down the tunnel to the court
In front of the pair, a child turned to watch as Westbrook was restrained by his antagonist, and as the player pulled away, voices watching the drama said, “talk about it, be about it” and “this is the man.” ‘Westbrook is the man’.
In a statement from the Phoenix Suns after the game, the team said, “We are aware of the incident that occurred tonight and are conducting an investigation.”
The altercation is said to have taken place in a lounge area adjacent to the court, which doubles as a shortcut from the court to the visitors’ locker room.
The point guard, who joined the Los Angeles side in February 2023, had a mixed start to the Clippers’ opener play-offs campaign.
Despite a strong defensive performance, Westbrook made just 3 of 19 shots from the field and finished with nine points.
But the player got into the clutch to snatch victory from the home side as the clock ran out, converting two crucial free throws in the last minute.
His late frustration with Sun’s shooting guard Devin Booker sealed the win for the visitors when Westbrook savagely pulled a block from Booker’s last attack towards the basket.
The point guard stepped forward to block Booker’s final attempt at tying
Westbrook struggled with shooting from the field but showed defensive heroics to put the Clippers ahead after Game 1
In the game, Westbrook faced off against his former Oklahoma Thunder teammate Kevin Durant after the Nets sold the player to the Suns in February
After the game, Westbrook said he was willing to do anything to win his first NBA championship.
“Each season throughout my career, I take pride in doing it all,” Westbrook said.
“Whatever it takes from me to win the game, I’ll do it.”
The Clippers and the Suns play Game 2 in Phoenix on Tuesday before the series moves to Los Angeles’ Crypto.com Arena for Games 3 and 4.