Skip Bayless Throwing Shade at Russell Westbrook’s Legacy After Announcing Retirement Angers Fans – “Give it a Rest, Skippy”

Skip Bayless reacted to the retirement of Russell Westbrook with a very long video explaining why he shouldn't be a Hall of Famer.

Skip Bayless Throwing Shade at Russell Westbrook’s Legacy After Announcing Retirement Angers Fans – “Give it a Rest, Skippy”

Skip Bayless and Russell Westbrook (Image credits - The Sporting News and Sports Illustrated)

Russell Westbrook was drafted by the Seattle SuperSonics (now Oklahoma City Thunder) as the number four pick in the 2008 NBA draft. During his NBA career, Westbrook won numerous accolades and established himself as one of the best point guards in the league in the 2010s.

Widely regarded as the most athletic and dynamic point guard in NBA history, Westbrook averaged a triple double four times in his career, which is a league record. He has won several awards during his career, including the league MVP in 2017, two scoring titles, three assist titles, and was named an All-Star nine times.

For all his achievements, sports analyst Skip Bayless shared a 13-minute-long video and offered a critical assessment of Westbrook.

Russell Westbrook has retired. His numbers say slam-dunk, first-ballot Hall of Famer. He would not be in my Hall of Fame. I don’t hate the player, but I hate the game. But in the end, I congratulate Westbrook on 18 seasons at age 37, playing that hard for that long until his knees started to give out, then his shoulders, and so on. A lot of punishment, and he kept fighting. I have no doubt Russell Westbrook will be in the Hall of Fame. But I leave you with this. He would not be in mine.

Skip Bayless on X

Skip Bayless is widely known for his bold takes, especially when it comes to LeBron James. He was very critical of Westbrook when he joined the Los Angeles Lakers in 2021.

The sports columnist even blamed the 37-year-old for Kevin Durant‘s 2016 exit from the Thunder. In his video, Bayless explained Westbrook isn’t a player he likes and wouldn’t be in his personal Hall of Fame, but he did respect the former MVP for the energy and athleticism he brought on to the court.

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Fans rip Skip Bayless for pushing back on Russell Westbrook’s Hall of Fame case

There is no doubt that after everything Russell Westbrook has achieved in his 18 years in the NBA, he will end up in the Hall of Fame. The accolades speak for themselves, even if Bayless was not a fan of his game.

Following the video shared by Bayless, he drew significant backlash from the NBA world.

Fans clapped back at Bayless for his poor take. Many called him out for criticizing Westbrook’s career rather than just giving him his flowers.

Sam Presti on Russell Westbrook’s incredible career

It was Thunder’s General Manager, Sam Presti, who selected Westbrook in 2008. During his 11-year spell with the Thunder, Westbrook gave the fans several memorable moments and even led them to an NBA Finals appearance in 2012.

Sam Presti and Russell Westbrook
Sam Presti and Russell Westbrook (Image credits – Yahoo Sports)

After Westbrook announced his retirement, Presti delivered a powerful tribute to one of the franchise’s all-time greats.

Russell Westbrook is the ultimate competitor. His internal belief and unbridled fearlessness helped establish the foundation of our organization from day one in 2008. Russell will be as successful in his life after basketball as he was during his career because his qualities and gifts transfer. He built a Hall of Fame career not by making statements or simply by breaking records, he did it by showing us all the power of asking one simple question: Why Not?

Sam Presti’s tribute to Russell Westbrook

Westbrook is undoubtedly one of the greatest players to ever play for the Thunder. He broke several records during his time with them and is the all-time franchise leader in points, rebounds, assists, and steals. It is expected that the franchise will retire his jersey after everything he has achieved while he played for them.

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