Anonymous Player Calling Russell Westbrook ‘Immature’ Gets Fact Checked by Former Teammate

Denver Nuggets star Russell Westbrook wants to do everything he can to win his first NBA title before he retires.

Anonymous Player Calling Russell Westbrook ‘Immature’ Gets Fact Checked by Former Teammate

Anonymous Nuggets player labeled Russell Westbrook as 'immature' (Image via FirstSportz)

Russell Westbrook has made a name for himself as one of the hardest-working players in the NBA. Applying that, his athleticism, and his unreal basketball skills, he has built himself a Hall of Fame career. Now, as part of the Denver Nuggets, he is looking to win his first NBA title to further add to that legacy.

Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray pushed their front office to bring Westbrook in. They had seen enough from his time with the Los Angeles Clippers last season to understand that they need his leadership and energy off the bench.

His arrival has helped the team keep its pace in a heavily competitive Western Conference. At the same time, he has made mistakes. Some of that is attributed to his aggressive stance on a lot of things. But somehow, he is often labeled as the reason for a team’s downfall.

That narrative did not come about throughout this season, as the Nuggets’ issues were not tied to him. Now, as they are battling in the second round, ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne published an article on Westbrook’s role in their championship quest, where one anonymous player’s opinion sticks out.

There’d been a heated discussion between Westbrook and Gordon in the locker room, multiple sources told ESPN. Gordon had challenged Westbrook about his attitude. Outside the locker room, one player relayed why Gordon might’ve done so. ‘He’s so immature,’ he said of Westbrook.

Ramona Shelburne quoting the anonymous player

This anonymous player confirmed to Shelburne that there was a back-and-forth between Aaron Gordon and Russell Westbrook. Gordon believed Westbrook’s ‘immature’ attitude was costing the team. However, since it is anonymous, Westbrook’s former teammate is not sure if this was accurate.

Austin Rivers fact-checks Russell Westbrook’s ‘immature’ claim

Austin Rivers has played on quite a few teams throughout his NBA career. That means he has also played alongside some great players. During his time with the Houston Rockets, he saw firsthand the type of competitor Russell Westbrook is. That led him to rebuke these ‘immature’ claims.

Austin Rivers and Russell Westbrook
Austin Rivers and Russell Westbrook (Image via Open Source/X)

Y’all are killing me with this ‘anonymous’ s**t, seriously. If you got to speak about a player’s character, either say it with your chest and say that you feel this way, or if you are going to quote somebody else, say their damn name. It’s so silly. I played with Russell. The last thing I would describe him as is ‘immature’.

Austin Rivers said

Rivers added that the former league MVP is as hard-working and as professional as one can be. He believes that journalists hide behind the anonymous tag to get their narratives out. If not, they should have had no problem revealing their source.

Austin Rivers was also appalled by this so-called teammate, who essentially ‘snitched’ on Westbrook, hiding behind the same anonymity tag. He believes players who want to reveal anything should do so with their names on full display.

Russell Westbrook had miserable outing in pivotal Game 5

If Russell Westbrook wants to win his first NBA title, he and his Denver Nuggets need to first advance past the second round. They are tied with the league-leading Oklahoma City Thunder heading into the pivotal Game 5.

Their performances in this game will help turn the momentum. With that in mind, the Nuggets ensured they kept pace with the Thunder in the first half and then took an eight-point lead in the third quarter. But then, the Thunder started to come back with efficient scoring in the fourth.

They were aided by the highly inefficient shooting from the away team for long stretches in the fourth. That helped the Thunder turn the game to their side, and they managed to keep it that way to clinch Game 5, 112-105.

Westbrook could not do much to help the team as he went 1-7 from the field and closed the game with just four points. Now they are one game away from ending their season. To avoid that, Westbrook and his teammates have to win Game 6 at all costs.

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