Kevin Durant would get ‘mad’ when Russell Westbrook tried to ‘bully’ Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard recounts story of how Kevin Durant didn't approve of Russell Westbrook intimidating him, during their time at OKC Thunder.

Kevin Durant would get ‘mad’ when Russell Westbrook tried to ‘bully’ Damian Lillard

Damian Lillard, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook (Images via X)

Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook are perhaps two of the most well-known NBA stars to play together as teammates. Their partnership while at the Oklahoma City Thunder, once struck fear into opposing teams. Indeed, it was a huge part of what made OKC a powerhouse back then. Recently though, Damian Lillard has revealed how the duo wasn’t in agreement when Westbrook tried to ‘bully’ him during games.

While speaking on the Club 520 Podcast, Lillard recounted how Russell Westbrook would always attempt to intimidate him on the court. Whenever it happened, Durant would get angry.

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My first five, six years, he was the bully... It didn't matter if it was a big matchup, if somebody was hurt and he was playing against the backup, he didn't care. He tried to do it to everybody. And I just remember when I was rookie second year, it was like he used to try to give me 50 every time. Like, he would be shooting on me so much that KD will be getting mad, like pass the ball.
Damian Lillard said

According to the 34-year-old, Kevin Durant didn’t hide his displeasure whenever Westbrook came at him in an intimidating manner. The Milwaukee Bucks star also recalled when he was a rookie, and the nine-time All-Star will try to flex the shooting muscles on him. He further added that at the time, Westbrook just picked on everyone and never really cared if any player was hurt.

Lillard went on to say that once he realized it was really deliberate, he started taking it personally. And that was when he started going back at the Nuggets star during games and got equally as aggressive as him. In any case, Durant tried to show proper sportsmanlike behavior at the time unlike his teammate and Lillard took notice of it.

Damian Lillard showed support to Russell Westbrook amid disrespect

Despite having their differences on the court, that didn’t stop Damian Lillard from throwing his support behind Russell Westbrook when it mattered. Particularly when the 35-year-old was trash-talked and trolled by some fans recently.

While talking about the disrespect thrown at the Denver Nuggets player, Lillard heaped praise on him and recognized his achievements in the NBA. 

The way people speak on Russ name is just crazy to me. Russ is that dude. MVP. Hall of Famer. No one can do what he did with Triple-Doubles even if they tried to.
Damian Lillard said

The way the shooting guard sees it, Russell’s reputation in the league precedes him. And he feels the people talking down on him just don’t appreciate the impact that the former has made. Westbrook is regarded as one of the best shooting guards and it’s safe to say Lillard feels the same.

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