Russell Westbrook’s inaugural campaign with the Los Angeles Lakers did not go according to plan.
Not only did L.A. fail to make the playoffs altogether, but the former league MVP struggled in a way that has many questioning if he’s too washed to even take a risk on anymore.
This week, renowned Lakers fan Snoop Dogg was asked to give his thoughts on Westbrook’s struggles.
Given the rapper’s penchant for keeping it real and not pulling any punches, many expected him to go off on Westbrook.
Instead, Snoop went a different route:
Shoutout to @SnoopDogg for defending Russell Westbrook last night on the @fullsendpodcast pic.twitter.com/VSgSvGpSUV
— Nour Qasem (@nourq20) April 21, 2022
“He’s a killer,” the West Coast rap icon said on the ‘Full Send’ podcast. “He’ll find himself out of it. Remember, the coach wasn’t f***ing with him. Coach used to sit him on the bench, take him out the game.
“That f***s with your mentality too, when you’re this great, and you’ve got this coach telling you, ‘Sit down, hold on,’ then when you get in, you definitely reckless because you ain’t in a groove. Basketball is a groove thing.”
Snoop didn’t stop there, though.
“The coach and the player have to be on the same page to where you understand my minutes affect the way I play, and by you sitting me down, you affecting the way I play because now I can’t do the things I normally do,” he continued.
“Now I’m out here rushing and trying to get people involved instead of just running the game. Russell ain’t never sit on the bench.”
It’s worth remembering, Snoop had much less tolerance for Anthony Davis’ woes this past year. The beef between those two is real and pretty intense.
But in the case of Westbrook, Snoop apparently has more patience.
Hilariously enough, both Westbrook’s Lakers coaches and teammates seemed to be rubbed the wrong way by his poor play and bad attitude – but apparently Snoop believes that’s Vogel’s fault.
The Warriors stay winning.https://t.co/AV5tHYTAC2
— Game 7 (@game7__) April 21, 2022
Time will tell.
Currently, there are four teams who would be willing to acquire Westbrook from L.A. If those deals ultimately fall apart, he will likely have to remain with the Lakers. And if that occurs, an answer will emerge once and for all on whether the problem with Westbrook in 2021-22 was him or Vogel.
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A longtime sports reporter, Carlos Garcia has written about some of the biggest and most notable athletic events of the last 5 years. He has been credentialed to cover MLS, NBA and MLB games all over the United States. His work has been published on Fox Sports, Bleacher Report, AOL and the Washington Post.
