Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook sends NSFW message to Lakers fans after dagger attack

Russell Westbrook’s stint with the Los Angeles Lakers was less than ideal, to say the least. And while Westbrook is nearly two years removed from wearing the purple and gold, the former MVP left it up to Lakers fans in last night’s 127-102 win over the Denver Nuggets.

Amid a dominant second half in which Denver beat Los Angeles 70-39, Westbrook struck hit a three-pointer, turned to the crowd and yelled, “Boom, bh!”

It was Westbrook’s only three-pointer of the night, but he otherwise proved effective in 24 minutes of play; Off the bench, he recorded 14 points, 7 rebounds, 11 assists and one steal.

Saturday’s big win as a member of the Nuggets was Westbrook’s sixth game against the Lakers since the team traded him during the 2022-23 season. The first five games were against the Lakers’ crosstown rival, the Clippers, with whom Westbrook signed after being traded from the Lakers to the Utah Jazz and reaching a buyout with Utah.

Russell Westbrook’s weak past with the Lakers

Westbrook was drafted fourth overall in 2008 by the Seattle SuperSonics, who would become the Oklahoma City Thunder before Westbrook’s rookie season. He found great success in OKC, where he won the NBA Most Valuable Player Award in 2017 and earned seven All-NBA selections in 11 seasons.

After brief stints with the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards, Westbrook, a Long Beach native who attended UCLA, returned to Los Angeles via a trade from Washington to the Lakers.

The move, which was reportedly heavily pushed by LeBron James, didn’t go nearly as well as the Lakers had hoped. Westbrook was heavily and harshly criticized for his play and the Lakers missed the playoffs.

While Westbrook began the following season with the Lakers, he found himself on the bench for the first time in more than a decade. Still, the team’s performance left a lot to be desired and Westbrook was ultimately dealt before the trade deadline.

While it’s still possible that there are hard feelings, both the Lakers and Westbrook fared relatively well following the trade; Los Angeles emerged as one of the NBA’s best teams, reaching the Western Conference Finals for the first time since winning a championship in 2020. Westbrook, for his part, was well received by the Clippers, even though he and his new team had no postseason success as a result of injuries to Kawhi Leonard and Paul George.

Last offseason, Westbrook picked up a $4 million player option before joining the Jazz for a second time. He was quickly released by the Jazz, clearing the way for him to team up with three-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets on a two-year minimum contract.

So far with Denver, Westbrook has averaged 11.3 points, 4.4 rebounds and 6.2 assists in nearly 25 minutes per game. Additionally, his three-point percentage (35.8%) is currently the highest of his career.

Westbrook and the Nuggets will face the Lakers, who have lost 13 of their last 14 against Denver, on February 22nd.