NBA-д 18 улирал тоглосны эцэст зодог тайлсан Рассел Уэстбрукийг хэвлэл мэдээллийн хэрэгслүүдийн сөрөг хандлага лигт үлдэхэд нь саад болсон гэж Патрик Беверли үзэж байна.
Рассел Уэстбрукийн карьерын сүүлийн жилүүд зөвхөн сагсан бөмбөгийн үйл явдлаар бус, харин түүнийг тойрсон хэвлэл мэдээллийн сөрөг яриануудаар тодорхойлогдсон гэж Патрик Беверли мэдэгдлээ. Түүний хэлснээр, олон жилийн турш үргэлжилсэн шүүмжлэл нь хөгжөөн дэмжигчдийн хандлагыг өөрчилж, улмаар багийн эзэд болон удирдлагуудын тоглогчийг үнэлэх үнэлэмжид хүчтэй нөлөө үзүүлсэн байна.
Уэстбрукийн хувьд 2017 оны MVP, есөн удаагийн бүх оддын тоглогч, NBA-гийн бүх цаг үеийн triple-double-ын тэргүүлэгч (209) зэрэг гайхалтай амжилтуудтай. Тэрээр карьерынхаа сүүлийн хэсэгт Сакраментогийн бүрэлдэхүүнд тоглолт бүрт дунджаар 15.2 оноо авч байсан ч хэвлэлүүд түүний шидэлтийн хувь болон орчин үеийн NBA-гийн тоглолтын хэв маягт тохирох эсэх тухай асуудлыг байнга хөнддөг байв. Беверлигийн үзэж байгаагаар, ийм төрлийн шүүмжлэлүүд нь түүний бодит чадвараас илүү хүчтэй нөлөөлж, тоглогчийн нэр хүндийг унагахад хүргэсэн аж.
Беверли энэ байр сууриа нотлохын тулд Лонни Уокер IV-ийн жишээг дурдаж, хэрэв Уокер NBA-д тоглох боломжтой бол Уэстбрукт ямар ч эргэлзээгүйгээр зай байх ёстой байсан гэж онцолжээ. Тэд өмнө нь талбай дээрх ширүүн өрсөлдөгчид байсан ч 2022 онд Лос Анжелес Лэйкерс багт хамт тоглосноор харилцаа нь өөрчлөгдсөн байна. Беверли өмнө нь ч мөн Уэстбрукийг Лэйкерс дэх асуудлуудын гол буруутан гэж үзэх нь шударга бус явдал гэж хамгаалж байсан юм.
Дэлгэрэнгүй эх сурвалжийг харах
Эх сурвалжийг нээх ↓
Patrick Beverley believes Russell Westbrook’s final years in the NBA were shaped by something bigger than basketball.
Speaking after Westbrook announced his retirement following 18 seasons, Beverley argued that years of relentless criticism changed the way fans viewed the former MVP; and eventually influenced the way decision-makers around the league evaluated him as well.
“I think the media is so strong that it allowed fans to call him names,” Beverley said. “It allowed fans to have opinions about his game, which also forced team owners, GMs, presidents to look at him a certain way.”
Beverley’s point is ultimately an argument about reputation.
Westbrook remained productive late in his career and most recently averaged 15.2 points per game with Sacramento, yet the conversation surrounding him frequently centered on declining efficiency, shooting limitations and questions about how easily his style could fit into a modern NBA offense. He retired as the league’s all-time leader in triple-doubles with 209, a nine-time All-Star and the 2017 MVP.
Beverley believes those accomplishments should have carried more weight when teams evaluated whether Westbrook still belonged in the league.
To illustrate his point, he brought up Lonnie Walker IV.
“When you see Lonnie Walker, and it’s no disrespect to Lonnie Walker, he’s a good friend of mine, but if he can make an NBA team, Russell Westbrook can make an NBA team without a doubt,” Beverley said.
Patrick Beverley says the media killed Russell Westbrook’s game:
“I think the media is so strong that it allowed fans to call him names. It allowed fans to have opinions about his game, which also forced team owners, GMs, presidents to look at him a certain way. When you talk… pic.twitter.com/AwyOGib0qF
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) August 18, 2026
Beverley has been consistent in his defense of his former Lakers teammate.
Earlier this summer, he argued that Westbrook was unfairly blamed for many of the Lakers’ problems and that the fallout from his Los Angeles tenure damaged the way the rest of the league perceived him.
Their relationship makes that support particularly notable.
Westbrook and Beverley were once among the NBA’s most visible rivals, dating back to Beverley’s collision with Westbrook during the 2013 playoffs and years of public shots between the two guards. They eventually became teammates with the Lakers in 2022 and developed a considerably different relationship once they shared a locker room.
Now Beverley is defending the player he once battled against. Westbrook’s career does not require anyone to ignore his weaknesses. His outside shooting declined, his turnovers could be costly and his fit became increasingly complicated as he aged.
Beverley’s argument is simply that those weaknesses became the entire conversation.
By the time Westbrook reached the final stage of his career, he believes the narrative surrounding him had become stronger than the player himself.
The post Patrick Beverley Says Media Narratives Helped Push Russell Westbrook Out Of NBA appeared first on OpenCourt Basketball.
