"Half the material came from his bricks" - Hilarious reactions for Russell Westbrook's construction worker outfit for LA Clippers' Inuit Dome takeover
Russell Westbrook, Paul George, Kawhi Leonard and the LA Clippers were at the $2 billion Intuit Dome to hype up their soon-to-be homecourt. Players, coaching staff and trainers were on hand as owner Steve Ballmer opened certain parts of the facility to the media.
Ae photo of the entire Clippers roster wearing hard hats and boots inside the heavily-constructed arena drew a ton of comments from basketball fans.
Some just couldn’t resist taking a dig at Russell Westbrook, who was dutifully seated with his teammates:
“Westbrook when he realizes that half the material came from his bricks.”
@WorldWideWob Westbrook when he realizes that half the material came from his bricks. https://t.co/6toIM8qAje
@BleacherReport @Farbod_E Now it all makes sense why they brought in Westbrook https://t.co/hFy3bV1e3F
@BleacherReport @Farbod_E Westbrook...as if he'll ever play in their new arena.
@BleacherReport @Farbod_E Westbrook look right at home 🤣
@TomerAzarly The prophesy has been fulfilled https://t.co/CgzRftXRei
@TomerAzarly westbrook being there knowing that it’ll just fuel more memes https://t.co/v8aiV0QXoi
@TomerAzarly Lawrence Frank hire bricks machine to finish the intuit hospital faster , recommended by stripp3r P. https://t.co/v9frEy3kt4
@TomerAzarly Westbrick wearing his official attire of the season 🤣🤣.
Man has so many airballs you will think he is a pilot, he has so many bricks you will think he majored in engineering
@BleacherReport @TomerAzarly The Russ jokes write themselves
@BleacherReport @Farbod_E Something reminds Kawhi when he looks at Russ.
Of course, some noticed the perfect attendance, which the LA Clippers have barely shown the entire season:
"First time all year they've all been in uniform together"
@TomerAzarly first time all year they've all been in uniform together
The "Westbrick" meme started to get out of control during his 1 1/2 season with the LA Lakers. He shot just 43.% from the field, including 29.7% from behind the arc in 110 games for his former team.
The situation got so bad that Russell Westbrook was regularly booed while playing in front of the home crowd. His wife Nina pushed back on Skip Bayless' constant use of "Westbrick" during the height of the former MVP's struggles.
Eventually, "Mr. Triple-Double" was traded to the Utah Jazz via a three-team deal. He never suited up for the Jazz as he agreed to a buyout and then played for the LA Clippers.
Unfortunately, the "Westbrick" meme will not go away, particularly with the latest photo taken from the Intuit Dome's construction.
The arena will be the LA Clippers' home starting the 2024-25 season. Ballmer also spearheaded the ground-breaking ceremony in 2021. He burst with excitement two years ago, knowing that his team would soon move out of Staples Center/Crypto.com Arena.
LA Lakers legend and Clippers consultant Jerry West showed the same enthusiasm as Steve Ballmer, albeit in a less energetic tone. West claimed that players and fans who will troop into the building will have a great experience waiting for them.
Russell Westbrook isn’t guaranteed to be in the squad when the Intuitt Dome opens. He signed a $784, 914 contract for a chance to play with Paul George and Kawhi Leonard this season.
Westbrook will be an unrestricted free agent next season, so it remains to be seen if he is still with the Clippers next season.
Russell Westbrook's acquisition hasn't translated to wins for the LA Clippers
The LA Clippers were desperately looking to upgrade their point guard position. They cut Reggie Jackson and John Wall and handed the main playmaking role to the unheralded Terance Mann.
Ty Lue's team played their best stretch of basketball leading into the All-Star break, with Mann orchestrating the plays. Apparently, the lure of Russell Westbrook, a surefire Hall of Famer, was too much to resist.
It just hasn't worked out the way Lue and the Clippers brass anticipated in the first few games.
Lakers 7-3 (moved from 13th to 9th in West)
Since Russ joined the Clippers:
🔸 Lakers 7-3 (moved from 13th to 9th in West)
🔸 Clippers 1-5 (moved from 4th to 8th in West)
Double agent Russ is in full effect 🧐 https://t.co/hwbhS5d7kW
Steve Ballmer’s team was fourth in the Western Conference when they acquired Russell Westbrook. They are 1-5 since his arrival and have dropped to eighth with a 34-33 record, just two games out of the play-in tournament.
It's not singlehandedly Westbrook's fault that they've dropped down the standings. But the Clippers need to figure out how to string wins together with "Russ" at point guard to avoid an embarrassing playoff elimination.