Former NBA player says Westbrook disrespect must stop

In the long history of the NBA, few have accomplished as much as Russell Westbrook. Though he has not been part of the LA Clippers for long, he has already shown a championship mentality in volunteering to come off the bench to help the team win.

Over the course of Westbrook's career, he has achieved some remarkable feats. He took home the 2017 regular season MVP award after breaking a record that many thought to be unbreakable: Oscar Robertson's record of triple doubles in a single season.

Westbrook also became the only player since The Big O to average a triple double for an entire season that year. In his career, he has made nine All-NBA teams and is a three-time assists champion, just to name a few of his accolades.

There is no doubt that Westbrook is a surefire Hall-of-Famer when he retires. Despite this fact, some fans still doubt his greatness. Former NBA player CJ Miles recently appeared on the Run Your Race podcast with Theo Pinson to refute those claims.

CJ Miles knows Russell Westbrook is a Hall-of-Fame player

The topic was first brought up on the podcast when Pinson commented that the disrespect Russell Westbrook gets is "absolutely ridiculous," noting that he will easily be in the Hall of Fame when his playing career is over. Miles was quick to agree with him.

Both players agreed that the notion of Westbrook not being a Hall-of-Fame level player often comes from fans who are uninformed. "The blow-up of our game is amazing," said Miles. "But the other part of the blow-up of our game is, we have the most fans that have no idea what they're talking about."

This is a frustrating reality of basketball discussion and debate in 2023. Mainstream TV programs that only serve to drive narratives and fail to inform the more casual fan about basketball itself become counter-intuitive.

The result is a player of Russell Westbrook's caliber becoming neglected and disrespected by fans because a disingenuous talking head told them to. "The disrespect has to stop," said Miles. "You can't talk basketball with everybody. There's a bunch of people that think they know basketball talking basketball, and it's bad."

While his words may come off as harsh, CJ Miles drives home a reasonable point. There is no world in which a player as talented and accomplished as Russell Westbrook should be treated as if he is not one of the best players to ever step on the hardwood in the grand scheme of things.

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