"I tweaked": Wade Baldwin Apologizes to Russell Westbrook after Publicly Trolling Former Lakers Superstar

An image of Wade Baldwin IV and Russell Westbrook
Wade Baldwin IV makes a joke about Russell Westbrook but later runs it back. Credit: Baldwin/x, Westbrook/IG

For the most part, Russell Westbook is praised as one of the hardest working superstars in the NBA. There are times, though, when the former MVP is trolled by fans, players, or critics for one reason or another.

Ad

One such instance happened when Wade Baldwin IV, an ex-Portland Trail Blazer who now plays for the Turkish ball club Fenerbahçe, stuffed the stat sheet in a EuroLeague game on Friday. In a post-game interview, Baldwin was informed by the reporter that he'd tallied 10 points, seven rebounds, eight assists, and seven turnovers. This led Baldwin to drop a Westbrook reference.

"It's like a Westbrook on the Lakers stat line right there," he said with a bit of a smirk.
Ad

Later on, Baldwin decided to take back his joke at the expense of the nine-time NBA All-Star.

Explore the NBA Draft 2024 with our free NBA Mock Draft Simulator & be the GM of your favorite NBA team.

"I tweaked … Russ damn near my favorite player all time. My apologies @russwest44," he tweeted.
Ad

On the one hand, Baldwin is alluding to the fact that Westbrook continued to be error-prone when he joined the LA Lakers in 2021. In his lone full season with the purple and gold squad, Westbrook averaged 3.8 turnovers to go with his 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists per game.

On the other hand, there's something to be said about Baldwin trolling a player whose best streak of consecutive All-Star appearances lasted longer than his NBA career to date. In the three years that he spent in the NBA, Baldwin played in just 56 games and was nowhere near contention for any significant individual award.

Ad

Perhaps the discrepancy in terms of career accomplishments weighed on Baldwin's mind, causing him to run back his Westbrook joke. Moving forward, the Fenerbahçe guard might be more careful with his choice of words in post-game interviews.

Reigning NBA MVP ties record held by Russell Westbrook in OKC franchise history

As a new generation of stars continues to make their mark on the NBA, old heads like Westbrook continue to serve as a barometer for these youngsters' success.

Ad

Case in point: When reigning MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander went off for a career-high 55 points against the Indiana Pacers this week, he tied a record held by none other than Westbrook, who used to be the OKC Thunder's main man.

According to a tweet by StatMuse: "Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is now tied with Russell Westbrook for the most 50-point games (5) in franchise history."

The last time that Westbrook had a 50-piece for OKC was on April 9, 2017. That night, Westbrook had 50 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 106-105 victory over the Denver Nuggets.

Los Angeles Lakers Fan? Check out the latest Lakers depth chart, schedule, and roster updates all in one place.

Quick Links

Edited by Simoun Victor Redoblado
Sportskeeda logo
Close menu
WWE
WWE
NBA
NBA
NFL
NFL
MMA
MMA
Tennis
Tennis
NHL
NHL
Golf
Golf
MLB
MLB
Soccer
Soccer
F1
F1
WNBA
WNBA
down arrow icon
More
bell-icon Manage notifications