On Monday, Russell Westbrook’s wife, Nina, revealed on Twitter that she and her family have been getting harassed and threatened daily.
“It’s very important to understand the difference between name calling and ‘telling one’s truth.’ It’s even more important when you have a platform and a network to share your ‘truths’ with millions of people,” Westbrook tweeted. “It requires a certain level of responsibility.”
Her comments come after she called out Skip Bayless for criticizing Russell on his show and blocking her on Twitter.
According to Skip, he never blocked Nina and never will, adding, “I welcome your criticism and appreciate your defending your husband. But I will continue to tell the truth as I see it.”
Although Westbrook never mentions Bayless by name, her statement could be applied to any talking head criticizing the Lakers star based on their platform.
“When I’m being harassed on a daily basis over basketball games, and I’m having obscenities and death wishes for me and my family sent my way because you’re expressing your ‘truth,’ it’s hard for me to get on board with that,” Nina wrote.
“I don’t do the things that I do to receive attention, to get clicks, or for show,” she continued. “This is not a game to me. Basketball is a game. This is my life, my children’s lives, and my families’ life. Shaming anyone for any reason is never the answer.”
Last night, her husband Russell spoke out in support of his wife and commented on the hate he and his family had received.
“I 100% stand behind my wife and… it’s not just about this year,” Russell said. “Right now, she’s reached a point, and my family has reached a point to where it’s really weighing on them and it’s very unfortunate just for me personally because this is just a game. This is not end all be all. When it comes to basketball I don’t mind the criticism of missing and making shots but the moment it becomes where my name is getting shamed, it becomes an issue.”
