“Y’all Suck”: Draymond Green Blasts Fans for Mistreating Russell Westbrook for Years

Dan Gilbert wrote an open letter in Comic Sans calling LeBron James a coward and a traitor for leaving Cleveland. LeBron won a championship and Cleveland fans lined up to celebrate the same man they’d once burned.

The pattern repeats often enough in sports that it should stop being surprising. On Wednesday, when Russell Westbrook posted a three-and-a-half-minute retirement video narrated by Michael B. Jordan, the reaction across social media made it clear the lesson still hasn’t been learnt. Draymond Green decided to air his thoughts.

Speaking on his own show, Green didn’t soften the message for anyone. “Basketball fans, y’all suck,” Green said (h/t katsuxbt). “Because for the last 8 to 10 years, all this guy has heard is how bad he sucks, how he don’t shoot it well, how he stat pads, and how he messes up teams."

The retirement Green reacted to was announced Wednesday, and the numbers behind it made his frustration easy to justify. Westbrook retired as the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles with 209, and became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1962 to average a triple-double for a full season — the year he won MVP.

He finished fifth all-time in assists with 10,351 and 14th all-time in scoring with 27,176 points. He was a nine-time All-Star, a nine-time All-NBA selection, and, at his peak in 2016-17, averaged a career-high 31.6 points to go with 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists.

Westbrook reportedly had contract offers this offseason from the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards. But chose to walk away on his own terms rather than accept a diminished role.

"Make no mistake about it — ‘Westbrick,’ and all the things y’all said about him," Green continued. "And the moment he steps aside — ‘Oh man, y’all did Russ wrong. Can’t tell me he couldn’t be on a team. Wow, how he played the game. Gonna miss him.’ All these great, beautiful things. ... Why is it that Russell Westbrook has to announce his retirement, unexpectedly, to finally see the love that he deserves? Why is that?”

The “Westbrick” nickname Green referenced was not just an internet joke. It followed Westbrook through Houston, Washington, and Los Angeles, attached to every inefficient shooting night and every turnover, and treated poorly by a wide number of fans and media.

Westbrook was selected fourth overall in the 2008 NBA Draft out of UCLA by the Seattle SuperSonics, just before the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City. He spent 11 years there, reached one NBA Finals, and carried a franchise through a Kevin Durant departure that would have buried most players in comparisons and criticism. Instead, he won an MVP the very next season by averaging a triple-double for the year.