Last night the Thunder played a road game against the Utah Jazz and Russell Westbrook got into a spat with a fan. Westbrook was clearly agitated by what was said to him from the heckling fan and went on a verbal tirade, attacking both the man and his wife. From the video alone, it looks like Westbrook may have gone too far, but as the night went on, more layers unfolded.
Russell Westbrook expressed his extreme displeasure with a nearby fan. https://t.co/mF3I09DDBe pic.twitter.com/ian28ys7Zb — USA TODAY Sports (@usatodaysports) March 12, 2019
After the game, the media found the man who got into the verbal altercation with Westbrook to get his side of the story. The man, Shane Keisel, played the role of victim and claims that Westbrook went too far for what he claimed to be a harmless conversation. In the video below, Keisel calls Westbrook “classless” and expressed his displeasure with the comments directed at his wife.
Shane Keisel, the Jazz fan who was involved in a verbal altercation with Russell Westbrook during the Jazz loss to the Thunder, explains his side of what happened. @KSL5TV @kslsports #nba pic.twitter.com/ScCSRttTCg — Jeremiah Jensen (@JJSportsBeat) March 12, 2019
The story took social media by storm and led some people to investigate the background of Keisel and found that he has had clear issues with Westbrook in the past. His twitter account is filled with racially charged tweets towards Westbrook, associated with his support of President Donald Trump.
So Shane Keisel, who has tweeted for Russell Westbrook to go back where he came from, who yelled racial remarks at Westbrook tonight, and who punctualizes his racist remarks with MAGA, also spent 17 years as a police sargeant for Utah Highway Patrol. Why did Kap kneel again? pic.twitter.com/YQrlUf7o8J — Black Bruce Dwayne Michael Carter Williams Jr. (@_CharlesDiamond) March 12, 2019
After the game, Westbrook gave his side of the story and seemed to have cleared the air on what had exactly happened. It appears that Westbrook may have been justified in his anger towards the fan, especially when you consider his tweets.
Russell Westbrook says the comment from the Jazz fan that set him off was: “Get down on your knees like you’re used to.” pic.twitter.com/i0vIlblSwJ — Tim MacMahon (@espn_macmahon) March 12, 2019
This incident brings forward the debate on whether fans should be able to yell at players and stay in the arena. It also questions whether players should be allowed to retaliate when they hear things directed towards them. The story dominated social media last night and should be an issue that carries on over the next few weeks.
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