Patrick Beverley believes sustained media criticism contributed to the way NBA teams and fans viewed Russell Westbrook, ultimately affecting the veteran guard’s opportunities late in his career.
Speaking after Westbrook announced his retirement on August 12, Beverley argued that media narratives became influential enough to shape public perception and the decisions made by NBA organizations.
“I think the media is so strong that it allowed fans to call him names,” Beverley said. “It allowed fans to have opinions about his game, which also forced team owners, GMs, presidents to look at him a certain way.”
Beverley specifically questioned why Westbrook was unable to secure another NBA opportunity despite his production and résumé. He compared Westbrook’s situation with that of other guards, using Lonnie Walker as an example.
“When you talk about guards that’s in the NBA and it’s no disrespect to guys that’s on current teams but when you talk about you see Lonnie Walker and it’s no disrespect to Lonnie Walker he’s a good friend of mine but if he can make a NBA team Russell Westbrook can make an NBA team without a doubt,” Beverley said.
Westbrook, 37, announced his retirement after an 18-season NBA career. He finished his career with the Sacramento Kings during the 2025-26 season, where he averaged 12.8 points, 5.3 assists and 3.1 rebounds per game in 40 appearances, according to the supplied season data.
His final NBA season came after a career that established him as one of the league’s most productive individual players. Westbrook finished his career with 209 regular-season triple-doubles, the most in NBA history, and won the 2017 MVP award after averaging a triple-double for the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Across 1,301 regular-season games, Westbrook averaged 20.9 points, 8.0 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game. He scored 27,176 points, ranking 14th in NBA history, while his 10,351 assists placed him fifth on the league’s all-time list.
Westbrook also earned nine All-Star selections and multiple All-NBA honors while winning two scoring titles and three assists titles. He was selected to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team and won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 2012.
Beverley and Westbrook also share a history as NBA guards who competed against each other throughout their careers. Beverley spent 14 NBA seasons with Houston, the Clippers, Minnesota, the Lakers, Chicago, Philadelphia, Milwaukee, Detroit and other teams, while Westbrook played for seven franchises.
