A reporter asks Russell Westbrook if the Thunder lost the game or if the Jazz won it
one of the most legendary interviews everš
Canāt believe we wonāt get to see these interviews no more from him
At least we have this one to remember forever lmao.
They should have one last press conference for no reason where everyone asks dumb questions, just for old time’s sake
are you russell westbrook because you won an MVP, or are you an MVP because you’re russell westbrook
Does the champion make the afro, or does the afro make the champion? That’s a question modern science can’t answer.
Hopefully, they let Ant be Ant without fines, and we might see something close.
We talkin about PRACTICE
āWhat type of parental role has he played for you and your teammates?ā
That one is the GOAT because it legitimately feels like it had a role in breaking up a championship duo.
You can see Kyrie become a villain in real time š Parental really was wild though. And Bron wasn’t even that old at the time, this was like 8 years ago? So he was 32-33.
But also damn it’s been 8 years… we gettin old
This one and the one where someone is asking LeBron about disciplining Kyrie for bad shot taking while he’s right next to him make me understand what Kyrie was going through
edit: it was asking Bron if Kyrie gets a pass for having zero assists in consecutive games.
I swear some of these journalists must be rage baiting. They can’t honestly be that stupidĀ
Of course they are
Link since Iāve never personally seen that one before
The audacity of asking with Kyrie right next to to him too lol
That zoom out is straight out of curb your enthusiasm šš
Cameraman deserves a raise for that lmao
Cameraman should have won an Emmy for that zoom out.
A really good answer from LeBron
LeGendary professionalism and PR training
Another reason heās my GOAT
I cringe out of my fucking skin every time I see that clip. What a dumb fucking question to ask a grown ass adult.
Shaq we’re live
“Idon’tgiveafuq”
I KNow
oh shit, thats classic too
thatās def up there too
kills me every time
I’ve known about this clip before I even knew who Russ was lmao
I’ve only ever seen the still images of this before today. LMAO
Did they win this game because they scored more points than your team?
That face is a meme that will never die
Will never not be funny. Literally laugh out loud every single time
Next question.
That’s an ESPN First Take question … Did Team A win the game or did Team B lose the game?Ā Debate!Ā
I like Nick.
My favorite part of this is how he just turns around but doesn’t actually get any further away from the reporters
They are at his locker. He aint going nowhere lol
They had him trapped lol
He has to answer because of the implication.
See you keep saying that wordā¦
Well you certainly wouldn’t be in any danger
So the basketball player is in danger?
No one’s in any danger!
ARE THESE WESTBROOKS IN DANGER?
Something something, trapped in here with me.
Fuck I guess Iām not as funny and unique as I thought I was š
The only thing funnier is if somehow he started running in place against the locker GTA style
Whereās he supposed to go? Into his locker? Lol
GOATbrookās reaction, like everything about the man does was real. Dude was mentally stunned by the question, his body took over but he immediately realized there is nowhere to go lol. Going into the locker would have been a power move on top of his power move.
He pulls out an axe and just starts chopping his way into the next room to prove a point
Nah, just a resounding bitch slap on that reporter and a slow sneering stroll as he steps over him on his way to the trainer’s office.
You don’t know? Through that is the land of Narnia!!
He didn’t have any pocket sand or flash powder on him at that moment. Rookie mistake.
woulda been funnier if he did, and put a towel over his head
I know everyone hates on reporters but most of these guys are making $50K/year at honestly pretty grueling jobs where they have to get something out as soon as possible after the game ends and they just need one to two quotes to get it done.
$50K is an absolute floor that would only apply to an inexperienced reporter at a less prominent outlet, most NBA beat reporters make well above that
Yeah and instead they act like whiny children and take any coverage of their performance as a personal attack. I mean shit even if itās a hit piece, it keeps the sport going.
Meanwhile you have these reporters making less than six figures sleeping on couches in the studio.
I donāt know man, that shit always made me shake my head a bit.
Yeah and instead they act like whiny children and take any coverage of their performance as a personal attack
I’d be careful not to characterize all reporters based on clips that get posted here. Internet clips are really not a good way to extrapolate out an opinion on anything.
I think they were talking about players in that quote.
Majority of reporters are respectful and just ask basic questions
I agree with you for sure. But on the flip side, imagine if every time you completed a day at work there were 20 people waiting for you at your car to ask you detailed (and sometimes ridiculous) questions about how you performed that day. Shit would get annoying quick and youād probably give a response like this at least once.
Like I know itās part of the job, I know they get paid millions to play a childrenās game, I know they signed up for it. That probably doesnāt make it any less annoying lol. These guys are humans after all.
That said there are some players / coaches who take the āI hate doing mediaā schtick to the point of being obnoxious. Popovich and Belichick come to mind. Russ is kinda borderline too honestly
But itās not a fair comparison, each of us still have annoying aspects of our jobs that we donāt like because we are human. But most of us donāt get paid 9 figures to do it, and most of us still have our performances judged by some metric.
For myself personally I work in healthcare supporting surgeries and if I continually fuck up and piss off the surgeon, my ass is gonna get either fired or at least put on some kind of performance improvement plan. Meanwhile many of these players have the luxury of contracts that are guaranteed whether they suck or not.
Idk I definitely do get where youāre coming from but I still have trouble reconciling the whole thing in my mind
Exactly. Go ahead and badger me after work if you’re going to pay me 10 mil a year to do it.
My mental health would be in the toilet. I might quit with nothing lined up.
“Psh I’m outta here” proceeds to go nowhereĀ
Lol. Itās like a bit from The Office.
Anyway see you later.
Alright see you.
Oh..you over this way too?
Yea actually I parked way down there.
Oh damn me too… So yea how’s your mom?
Lemme turn my back on these fools
Instant classic
Used to be my reddit pic before they made us use these avatars lol
I think you can still use pictures? I see other users with pictures in this thread
This used to be everywhere on early 2010s message boardsā¦ a special era
This is still a top 10 response gif in this sub. The face he makes is iconic š
Honestly among the best of the best in most sports subs
it’s a funny reaction but the question makes sense. was it the Thunder’s lack of execution that made them lose a game they should have won? or did Russ think they played fine and it was just a really good performance by Utah?
i think russ was just mad ian gone lieš¤£
Yeah itās 100% because he just lost, has to do media shit he probably didnāt want to, and the question is just ambiguous enough to where itās annoying
Was it your fault that you lost or are they just better than you?
It’s like one step above “did you stop beating your wife?”
Were you dominated or just weak?
The interviewer lost all the rap(pa)port with Russ that question
Who is ian?
I wondered the same maybe the reporter.
It fully makes sense and and I remember back then everyone understood the question.. his reaction was just hilarious. Probably wasn’t in the mood to answer that
That exact phrasing is super common, too, Iām surprised he didnāt understand that was the intent.
Of course, could be heās tired and all the wheels arenāt spinning, so you end up taking the question literally.
Edit: some people just donāt get it. Itās asking āDo you think they were the better team or do you feel that you had a down game and could have played better and won if you put your mind to it.ā
I always took to more mean that he thinks trying to find a difference in these things is stupid
He knows what the question is heās just fuckin pissed cause they just losed.
I donāt know, maybe heās mad because Utah just won.
What..? Bro, what are you talking about, man?
I don’t think pro athletes are the best at reading between the lines
bruh he knows what the question means he just didnt like talking to reporters much during this era
I also don’t think a lot of them think there’s a meaningful difference in these things. One team won, one team lost. “Did you lose it or did they win” just sounds stupid to them and the distinction is meaningless.
But there is an important distinction. Anyone who’s ever played competitive sports knows that sometimes the other team just has it and you don’t.
Then how about ask about the basketball, ask about specific plays, ask about how the defense went, ask about what they lacked on offense, ask about what he liked about his performance or the performance of others and how they can improve.
Basically ask any legitimate question other than that dumb shit.
Do you think your post was garbage, or do you think you just were posting like garbage that day?
Some stuff is just idiotic to say and ask, but on reddit you get all the
“Akshuly it akshuly makes sense because akshuly when he said jazz won vs you lost it really means….”
His question was too vague and he didn’t provide enough context for the question he was asking. But the question still has value. Either they took the win or you handed yourself the loss.
Russ is very intelligent, he knew what the reporter meant. lmao
Oh I’m reading between the lines on this post you made and the fact that you hide your posts on your profile.
Itās just rewording why you thought you lost, to make locker room reporters feel like theyāre relevant or needed. Same questions, after every game, in every sport. Doesnāt surprise me that an athlete is tired of doing those. Thereās a reason why leagues make being available to the media mandatory, athletes are tired of pretending nerds with microphones in their faces are relevant. Totally get why he thought how he worded the question was dumb as hell.
It making sense and it being a smart question are not the same thing.
Thereās not only 2 options. Thatās a question for a toddler when you want them to answer a specific way. Do you want broccoli or green beans ah question. Low effort question imo. Questions should be open ended, so the player can give a real response on what they think. Not a multiple choice quiz.
One team scored more points than the other one.
āHow did the other team out rebound you guys?ā
āWell, when the shot goes up and it misses, it goes up into the air, and they jumped up and secured it with both hands and came down with it. Thatās a rebound, and they did that more times than usā
However you dissect it, this view of Russ is sort of his legacy. He’ll be remembered as a bulldog who often could never turn off his (not always right) instincts. He’ll be remembered for his MVP season, and as a franchise case study (the OKC years).
It’s a pity we never saw a different evolution of Russ into his later years, but…that’s the way he is built.
He would be valuable as a 10+ rotation player with vet knowledge. But that’s probably not how he wants to end his career.
There’s a difference between a question literally making sense, and a question being appropriate to ask. That was dumb as hell to say to a player.
The guy in the background is excellent. He goes from nonplussed to tickled yet contains it to his eyes. Looks down for a moment to maintain composure and then subtly shifts to see who asked the question.Ā
I wonder if he ever gets recognized for this. His face has probably been seen by a few hundred million people
āWhereāre my gif royaltiesā
Him and the woman up front.
[Thierry Henry.GIF]
one of my favorite interviews
One of Russ’ funniest moments
The āwhatā so perfect
I love how he says i’m outta here but then just spins around
Where else is he gonna go? Lol the rest of his shit is in his locker and
…and what?….AND WHAT!???
Quality gif
GOAT Brodie Meme Moment, had that āWHAT?ā as my text tone
For years as a child I thought the last line he said was “I need a stripper” and was shocked he would say that
I can understand if this was James Harden
He was disgusted. To be fair, utterly braindead question to ask a professional athlete. This is a question for someone on first take not a guy who plays the game
Not a brain dead question at all. Pretty good discussion when an underdog wins
Nah, it’s a terrible question. It’s too broad to actually discuss why the team has lost. Like, what is he supposed to say? “Yeah, they won because they were better” or “We lost because we weren’t good enough.” That’s just nothing. Ask questions that actually go deeper, there are some journalists out there who actually know ball. You can always see the faces of players / coaches light up, when they’re being asked real basketball questions.
“I think it’s a little of both. The Jazz played hard tonight, they wanted it more, and we could have done better.”
That’s all he had to say, it was a softball question that would have gone away with a softball answer.
Russ’s answer was the weird one in this situation. That being said, I’m glad he answered the way he did, cuz its funny as fuck.
“Yeah, they won because they were better”
We didn’t play to our normal ability, or, they played well and hit their shots etc. It’s no worse than the average question these guys are asked
They’d ask follow up questions after. I think it’s better to ask like this. I don’t like when reporters ask guys long winded or 3 part questions, bc the players usually only answer 1 part and trail off.
It’s actually a great question that’s very meaningful. There’s definitely times when a team wins a game vs when a team loses a game, the distinction is important
Itās quite basic
The reporter should have responded with āOk, Jazz won the game it isā
That āWHAT!?ā came from beyond his own being somehowĀ
this is my favorite Russ clip ever, possibly top 5 NBA player clip ever. This will forever be funny
One of the greatest sound bites in the history of the sport š
God Iām gonna miss this crazy mf
Such a gem
An all timer
the reporter in the background’s reaction is always the best part
Best meme ever
“did the team lose or did the other team win” is some psuedo intellectual shit that sports media ask each other. you don’t bring that shit to a player. especially if they lost. especially if its westbrook. very dumb idea.
The best part of this video is at the end after he’s already turned around, he’s like wtf was that shit lol
Come one, come all! It’s We Love Russell Westbrook week at r/nba.
Please be sure return in one year when everyone is talking shit about him again!
Goat response
“Russ, in your opinion, which of these factors contributed more to tonights loss vs the Jazz; 1) OKC’s defensive breakdowns, or 2) Utah’s execution on the Offensive end?” Would be funny if Westbrook gave the same reaction lol.
Still the best interview ever
“I’m out, man.” **turns around**
I used to think he was saying āIām out man, I need a stripperā
His facial expression always gets me šš
Did he say I need a stripper?
This one is good but my personal favorite is the “execute” and “execution” interview. That was his answer for damn near every question lol
Edit: also in the same interview he says he dont like the reporter and doubles down. Lmaooo
How did Russ’s WHAT? face here never become a meme?
Itās a stupid question, but I do understand what they meant š
Love it. Always did. This guy literally stepped on the court and said f it, im doing what I want. Half the time he shit on the league, half the time he didnt. Oh well. Love him. And never wore no stupid ass hat or dressed like some belimic girraffe with alopecia.
Giraffe with alopecia was a choice gahhhhhht ššš
Russ coming full speed down the lane dunking that shit hard as hell that was something special. Man, loved watching him play.
All timer. I use this face when customers ask me dumb shit
š āmannn Iām outā. This interview will never get old
play this during his HOF introduction, cowards.
That’s the retirement message and final words of his HOF speech.
Salute to the Brodie.
This is the realest interview ever and thatās why heās been my favorite player ever. Go look at highlights from his MVP season and tell me heās not electric
I will miss Russ.
Old but gold
The last part killed me lmaoo
I did not remember that.
I have a Westbrook backpack that shows his stank face and has a quote āWHAT?!ā On it a Redditor made actually lol love that bag
u/savevideo
Media obligations are not why theyāre getting paid though. Nobodyās contract negotiations hinge on their post game interviews, itās about their performance on the court
I love how he just needed a second to charge that up šš¤£šš¤£
The meme š®š®š®
āWas the outcome of the game more a result of the Jazz playing above their norm or the Thunder playing below their normā is clearly what the question is asking but I guess it was easier for Russ to try to make the reporter look stupid
[ Removed by Reddit ]
Analytically, the won though.
Legitimate questionĀ
All timerā¦ I feel for the reporter because IMO itās a perfectly valid question. Did the Thunder play poorly or did the Jazz play well?
He couldnāt comprehend the question?
These were one of the first NBA memes I think way back 2014. Lmao I always use his pic when someone says some dumb shišš
Sometimes BB-IQ and IQ are correlated.
Best clip ever
Imagine having to answer questions after every single day at work, before youāre allowed to leave the workplace.
Lol itās hilarious because at surface level itās a stupid question but if you think about it at all, it makes sense. I could see Russ just being pissed and annoyed at it being asked lol
In the hall of fame for this alone
Before he became the “just have fun” Russ
Yo that what was so genuine u could hear the build up
This made my day. Ty weatb.
Forever in the nba archives
How he not get fined for using the n word? Lmao
I already miss this man
Peak Brodie!
That semantics debate has never gone well for any reporter who’s tried it with him.
Hmm this is Gen Z version of AI practice rant
Lmbo a riddle of a question after the strain of an NBA game. Surprised you can get any coherent answers from these guys after playing a whole (insert contact sports) game
probably top 5 ever clip of post game interview. love the guy in the back subtly cracking up
I mean the question makes sense but like russ aint answering that
Legendary gif
Itās hilarious who this sub decides to like and not like.