Apr 21, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) celebrates after a dunk on a pass from guard James Harden (1) in the first half during game one of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs against the Dallas Mavericks at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images

Michael Porter Jr. Calls Out Clippers, Lakers Fans for Russell Westbrook 'Disrespect'

Originally posted on Los Angeles Clippers on SI
By Jared Knobloch | Last updated Sep 24, 2025 11:31 PM ET

NBA star Russell Westbrook has played for a handful of different teams in his illustrious career. It started with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he played for over ten years. After that, he's bounced around to several different teams, including a stop with the Los Angeles Clippers.

In LA, he played half a season in 2022-23, then a full season in 2023-24. During the full season he was on the Clippers, he averaged 11.1 points, 5 rebounds, and 4.5 assists per game in 22 minutes a night.

Westbrook's 2023-24 season was a statistical low for the storied point guard.. Oftentimes in one's NBA career, as the player ages, they find themselves fighting against Father Time, but also the role they've been given on a team. Westbrook went from being the focal point of an offense to coming off the bench with a much more limited role.

How Michael Porter Jr. Saw Westbrook

Michael Porter Jr. was on The Justin Laboy Show when he was asked about his time playing with Westbrook.

"I mean, so Russ, like here's the thing. It would be hard for any player to go from being the MVP of the NBA to then taking on a role where you're coming off the bench, but you still have, like I said, even me going from being the best player to then having some injuries and having to accept, like, okay, I need to figure out a role. That's tough," said Porter Jr.

Porter Jr. continues to talk about the scrutiny that Westbrook faced while playing for the LA Clippers and Los Angeles Lakers.

He continued, "For Russ to go from MVP to then be told he's going to play this type of role and to then, you know, go to these different teams and get disrespected by so many people. When he went to LA [Lakers], he was disrespected like crazy. When he went to the Clippers, people hated on him like crazy. Meanwhile, he's been the MVP of the NBA.”

Porter Jr. was acknowledging the fact that the NBA can be rough sometimes when it comes to how quickly fans move on. Unless a player is beloved or is at their peak every single night, criticism is often lurking.

Russell Westbrook takeover early 4th quarter with 8 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block. 5 minutes of absolute cinema from the Brodie

Incredible on both ends. The Clippers doesn’t deserve Russ ‼️pic.twitter.com/gJZTizc2Ws
— Beastbrook (@Beastbr00k0) December 7, 2023

"I feel like all those things weighed on Russ. And when he came over with us, he came in with some great energy. Like, he really bought into the system. He was cheering people on. But it's an 82-game season, so obviously there's going to be highs and lows," Porter Jr. finished.

One thing was for sure according to Porter Jr. -- "I’m saying, Russ, he's a real positive dude."

This article first appeared on Los Angeles Clippers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

More must-reads: