One of the more entertaining sideplots of this NBA season involves the many ways Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook has taken digs at his former running mate Kevin Durant—who famously left Oklahoma City this offseason for greener pastures in Golden State.
At first glance, it certainly seemed that not even the Christmas spirit could make Westbrook put aside his qualms with his former teammate Sunday. Check out this clip of Westbrook at the Thunder shootaround following the conclusion of today’s Warriors game, and listen closely at the end.
https://twitter.com/okcthunder/status/813158644506312704
That sure seemed to be Westbrook yelling “Thank you, Kyrie” as he sprints back to the locker room, and the internet went wild about it:
https://twitter.com/DragonflyJonez/status/813162167436537857
Did Russ say, “Thank you, Kyrie!” at the end? 😭😂 (via @okcthunder) #NBAXmas pic.twitter.com/4ZiaL1EbFX
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) December 25, 2016
You be the jury.
Does Russ yell "Thank you, Kyrie!" or what?! https://t.co/vBhpE8OSRH
— Boomtown Hoops (@BoomtownHoops) December 25, 2016
Why would Westbrook say that? Well, for those unfortunate souls who missed the Warriors-Cavaliers game today, Cavs’ guard Kyrie Irving hit an incredible turnaround fadeaway jumper over the Warriors’ Klay Thompson to give Cleveland the lead with just seconds left. That bucket was the difference as the Cavaliers once again bested the Warriors in a rematch of the last two Finals.
However, when asked about this, Westbrook insisted (after wondering what the reporter was talking about) that he would never say such a thing, and he was instead saying “Thank you, Jamie!” to the trainer’s daughter:
Russell Westbrook on what he said running off the court. Said he said "Thank You Jamie," daughter of Thunder trainer Joe Sharpe pic.twitter.com/gfki5Y9YRE
— Erik Horne (@ErikkHorne) December 25, 2016
Here’s a transcription of his comments:
Russell Westbrook on the "thank you Kyrie" thing that's going around, strongly denies that's what he said: pic.twitter.com/Utzp9m3s3w
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) December 26, 2016
The audio in that clip is faint enough that it’s not easy to tell if Westbrook said Kyrie or Jamie (it sure sounded like “Kyrie” at first, but “Jamie” seems possible as well). Maybe this was just the “Jamie” he claimed. However, “Thank you, Kyrie” wouldn’t seem all that out of place, as Westbrook has taken some very public shots at Durant since the former MVP announced he was leaving in July.
There was the cupcake photo on July 4th when Durant was still posturing about his decision (cupcake was a term used in the locker room to describe someone who was being soft).
And Westbrook was asked about Durant’s comments regarding the selflessness of his new teammates in October, at which point he delivered this gem.
Russell Westbrook was asked about Durant's comments: "We're gonna worry about all the selfish guys we've got over here, apparently." pic.twitter.com/iZkiXu01GW
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) October 13, 2016
Not even the commercial airwaves are safe from Westbrook’s shade. There was the pretty self-explanatory “Some run, some make runways” ad in August. That was then followed by the equally self-explanatory “Now I do what I want” spot in October.
Some run, some make runways. #AJXXXIhttps://t.co/tPpJ2HANsa
— Jordan (@Jumpman23) August 26, 2016
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k8Gsn4hWRNA
Of course, when the two took the floor for the first time this season as adversaries, who could forget Westbrook’s pregame outfit.
Russell Westbrook has arrived. (Of note: One of Kevin Durant's hobbies is photography): pic.twitter.com/Tvus1gnxx4
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) November 4, 2016
Regardless of if he actually lobbed more here or not, Westbrook remains the NBA’s current king of shade.
[Dragonfly Jonez on Twitter]
