Boston Celtics’ Jayson Tatum recently showed his support for Russell Westbrook by sharing an Instagram post highlighting Westbrook’s impressive career achievements.
LA Lakers cut ties with Russell Westbrook after trading him to Utah Jazz ahead of the trade deadline. The three-team trade deal included the Lakers acquiring D’Angelo Russell, Jared Vanderbilt, and Malik Beasley from the Minnesota Timberwolves and shipping Westbrook, along with a couple of draft picks to the Jazz.
With that, Westbrook’s miserable run with the Lakers comes to an end. During his 1.5 years of association with the purple and gold, the point guard failed to leave an impact and hence faced immense criticism from the fans. Despite being one of the most statistically dominant players in the league, Russell has often been criticized for his shot selection and inability to win a championship. However, the former Lakers have found support in his fellow colleague Jayson Tatum.
Jayson Tatum Shows Solidarity With Russell Westbrook
Boston Celtics’ star center forward, Jayson Tatum, has come out in support of under-fire Russell Westbrook. Jayson shared a post through his Instagram story to support the point guard. The post listed Westbrook’s numerous achievements, including his nine All-Star selections, two scoring titles, and the Most Valuable Player award in 2017. It also noted that he is only the second player in the American League’s history to average a triple-double for a whole season, a feat he accomplished in both the 2016-2017 and 2017-2018 seasons.
Jayson’s post comes at a time when Russell Westbrook faces heavy criticism post the trade deal. Even the point guard’s stay in Hollywood was one of his worst career experiences. Despite all the failures, Russell’s past achievements are something that cannot be overlooked. He rose through the ranks and reached this stage through sheer hard work. Moreover, blaming a solo player for a team’s debacle does not make a lot of sense.
California Assembly Member Lists Westbrook’s Charitable Work In LA
While Russell’s on-court stay with the Los Angeles Lakers was miserable, Russell Westbrook made sure to give it back to the community off the court. A California State Assembly Member took to Twitter and posted a thread listing Westbrook’s charitable work in the LA community. The thread begins with Russell helping in renovating a community center. Later, the point guard’s Why Not foundation sponsored a Christmas event to feed the needy. The assembly member also listed out a couple of occasions where Westbrook honored the charitable events by marking his presence.
The member concluded the thread by saying no matter what people make out of this trade, Russell Westbrook will always remain a LA resident and expressed his gratitude to Russell for choosing LA as his home. Moreover, the assembly member said the real one knows it is always bigger than the basketball, referring to Westbrook.