The Los Angeles Lakers have heard it from their fans at home games recently. They are raining down boos upon the players as the team is struggling mightily, looking like they will end the NBA season with a whimper.
The boos are something that drew the attention of Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green, as he called out the fans for expressing their displeasure in such a manner. Los Angeles did win an NBA Championship less than two years ago in the Orlando Bubble, but a lot has changed for the team since then.
There is nothing wrong with a fan expressing themselves with boos. They are paying customers and there has been a lot of listless, uninspired performances from the Lakers that deserved that kind of reaction.
However, what is unacceptable behavior from fans is when things go beyond just booing. When they are going on social media and issuing threats to the players and their family members, that is when a line has been crossed.
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Russell Westbrook has been dealing with a lot of that recently. He has played poorly this season and the jeering is expected. But, his wife has spoken out about some of the vile things that have been directed her way and people have relentlessly attacked Russell as well.
Another Warriors player, this time Stephen Curry, spoke out about it. The Los Angeles Lakers recently played against the Warriors and Curry made sure that Westbrook knew that he had his support.
“The fan perspective, it is kind of B.S. when it crosses the line in terms of attacking somebody personally, their name, and not keeping it to just basketball,” Curry told Yahoo Sports. “That’s why we’re all here is because of basketball. But at the end of the day, you have to do what you have to do to speak up for yourself and also understand that the guys that know what’s going on in this league respect the type of player he is. Russ definitely has my support.”
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The relationship with fans will sometimes be a fickle one. In this age of social media, they have more access to players than ever before. Sometimes, there are benefits to it. But, in this case, the interactions are getting negative.
Stephen Curry has experienced some of it himself, as he was most recently booed by the fans in Cleveland throughout All-Star Weekend. He recently revealed some of the words that he had with Russell Westbrook during the recent meeting, saying he respected how he has handled things.
“I told him when we played them in L.A. a couple of days ago that I respect how he’s handled the whole year, just in terms of everything he’s been saying and how he’s been handling himself and protecting his family,” Stephen Curry told Yahoo Sports. “It is the nature of the beast. And in a certain perspective, they build you up to break you down. The real ones who have done amazing things in this league know what that means. He’s a professional, and I’m proud of the way he’s conducting himself, and I’m there for him.
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Things aren’t likely to let up anytime soon, as the Los Angeles Lakers are continuing to reel following a loss to the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night. Unless an expected run in the postseason occurs, Russell Westbrook and the Lakers can expect to hear plenty of boos the remainder of the season.
