Russell Westbrook did it again. The cantankerous Oklahoma City Thunder superstar had another run-in with a fan during the Thunder's 98-89 win over the Jazz on Monday night.
"I swear to God, I'll f*ck you up. You and your wife. I'll f*ck you up," Westbrook said in a video tweeted by Jazz digital sports reporter Eric Woodyard.
It all started when Westbrook, who was icing his knees at courtside, got into it with a Jazz fan sitting in the stands.
Westbrook said the fan told him to "get down on my knees like you used to" - a statement which he considered racist. Westbrook complained about the lack of security for the players.
"To me, that's just completely disrespectful, to me, I think it's racial, and I think it's inappropriate in the sense that there's no protection for the players. I just think there's gotta be something done, there's gotta be some consequences for those type of people that come to the game just to say and do whatever they want to say."
Westbrook insisted he would never hit a woman. He added he has never been accused of domestic violence in his life.
The Jazz fan, Shane Keisel, later told KSL5-TV that he simply said Westbrook should "Just sit down and ice your knees." Keisel said he was not racist or disrespectful toward Westbrook.
But a Twitter user uncovered an old tweet that shows Keisel's animosity toward the star guard.
In the tweet dated April 28, 2018, Keisel wrote, "Westbrook is a piece of classless shit. Somebody needs to kick his ass."
In another tweet, Keisel wrote: "Russell Westbrook needs to go back where he came from!! #MAGA".
Five Jazz fans were issued "warning cards" but they were allowed to remain in the Vivint Arena for the rest of the game.
Westbrook was not penalized by officials for the outburst.
The incident is just the latest in a series of run-ins with fans who aggravate the sensitive player.
Last postseason, he appeared to swat a phone out of a fan's hand after OKC fell in a decisive Game 6 to Utah. Westbrook said Utah fans are the worst.
"I don't confront fans, fans confront me," Westbrook said at the time. "Here in Utah, man, a lot of disrespectful, vulgar things are said to the players here with these fans. It's truly disrespectful. (They) talk about your families, your kids. It's just a disrespect to the game and I think it's something that needs to be brought up."
He continued, "I'm tired of just going out and playing and letting fans say what the hell they want to say. I'm not with that. If I was on the street, they wouldn't just come up to me and say anything crazy, because I don't play that (expletive)."
Things get heated between Russell Westbrook and Utah Jazz fans again. "I'll f*ck you up. You and your wife," he says. Not sure what these fans said to him, but he also had issues with Jazz fans during the postseason. pic.twitter.com/LquwRmLVNy
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) March 12, 2019
Just for future reference before judging @russwest44 #Westbrook this is the person who claims he never used any vulgar language towards Russ (he also locked account) @skeisel391 ? pic.twitter.com/SBSvvvw9De
— IB ? ? (@incarceratedbob) March 12, 2019
— Here comes treble ?? (@kingRayle) March 12, 2019
Russell Westbrook says the fan and his wife told him to "to get down on your knees like you’re used to" which is why he responded. “As for beating up his wife, I've never put my hand on a woman. I never will. Never been in any domestic violence before and never have," he said. pic.twitter.com/f9SugcpBTP
— Eric Woodyard (@E_Woodyard) March 12, 2019
