Skip Bayless Admits Longtime Beef With Nuggets’ Russell Westbrook is ‘Personal’
November 17, 2024
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Longtime sports personality Skip Bayless has been one of the more interesting members of the media. He has never been shy about making his opinion be heard and it has sometimes backfired for him.
Bayless has been a strong critic of certain players in both the NBA and NFL. One of his biggest spotlights has gone toward superstar LeBron James.
But another is veteran point guard Russell Westbrook. Bayless has continuously called him “Westbrick” over the years, leading to many wondering why he has such a serious beef with the guard.
Bayless finally opened up about his beef with Westbrook, admitting that it is indeed a little personal. He was a recent guard on the “All the Smoke” podcast and revealed his reasoning.
The former Fox Sports 1 analyst mentioned that part of his beef with Westbrook was due to his fandom of star forward Kevin Durant.
“This runs deep for me and there is some personal here, I will admit,” said Bayless. I was a Kevin Durant fan since he was at Texas.”
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – NOVEMBER 15: Russell Westbrook #4 of the Denver Nuggets plays against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half of a Emirates NBA Cup game at the Smoothie King Center on… NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – NOVEMBER 15: Russell Westbrook #4 of the Denver Nuggets plays against the New Orleans Pelicans during the first half of a Emirates NBA Cup game at the Smoothie King Center on November 15, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. Westbrook has been the subject of criticism for much of his career.
Photo by Derick E. Hingle/Getty Images
Durant famously chose to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder in the summer of 2016 to join the Golden State Warriors. Bayless is from Oklahoma City so he has a slight favoritism toward the Thunder.
“Remember, Kevin chose to leave Russ,” added Skip. “And I was told by somebody very close to Kevin Durant the main reason he left OKC going into his 10th year, he left because this was the quote I was told ‘he finally decided he’d never win with Russ as primary decision-maker.'”
The decision of Durant to leave due to Westbrook clearly rubbed Bayless the wrong way. Durant went on to win two titles with the Warriors while Oklahoma City with left with Westbrook alone.
Bayless has since dedicated his time to having a beef with the veteran guard, criticizing him every step of the way. Westbrook didn’t help his cause due to his decline in play over the years.
Westbrook has seen a drop in his game over the years, leading to him bouncing around the league. He has spent time with the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, and Los Angeles Clippers since leaving the Thunder.
Now with the Denver Nuggets, Westbrook has somewhat settled into a bench role and has a chance to win his first NBA championship.
However, it seems that Bayless won’t be getting over his personal beef with the future Hall-of-Famer anytime soon.
For the latest NBA news, be sure to check out Newsweek Sports.
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