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Ex-Knicks Guard Calls Out Russell Westbrook Critics
Apr 19, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) reacts to his three point basket in the fourth quarter against the LA Clippers at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

Very few players in the NBA today receive the criticism that Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook does.

Despite being a one-time MVP and a nine-time NBA All-Star, Westbrook becomes the center of attention anytime he makes a mistake while playing on the Nuggets' bench. While critics continue to detract from his play, Westbrook's peers have always defended his play.

Most recently, former New York Knicks guard and Westbrook's brief OKC Thunder teammate Raymond Felton added to that list.

Once again, you got these clowns out here who feel like they've got so much to say about people who play the game of basketball, and they've never did what we actually did," Felton said on Podcast P. For them to have the words that they say sometimes about [Paul George] or about Russ, I played with both of them, and I know they had work they put in."

"People think it's just all sweet, and it's not," Felton added. "These dudes really work. These dudes are major superstars in this league, in the world, can't go nowhere without security. People don't understand that, but these guys really put it in that type of work."

Westbrook is currently on a two-year, $6.7 million contract with the Denver Nuggets that has a $3.4 million player option for the 2025-26 NBA season.

Last week, Westbrook indicated that he won't be retiring from the NBA and will be playing his 18th NBA season in 2026. While he does not explicitly state that he'll accept the player option, it's a strong assumption that he will.

This article first appeared on Denver Nuggets on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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