Patrick Beverley discloses how a ball boy wanted to kill him after he injured Russell Westbrook in Thunder: “I had a ball boy threaten to kill me”
LA Lakers guard Patrick Beverley has never backed down to anyone. That includes a ball boy who threatened the veteran during a playoff series.
Beverley has had plenty of stops during his 10-year NBA career. His most notable was during his five seasons as a member of the Houston Rockets. In the 2013 playoffs, the Rockets went up against the OKC Thunder.
During Game 2 of the series, Beverley attempted to go for a steal against Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook. Beverley collided with Westbrook, fouling him during the attempt. What happened next was something that Beverley wasn't expecting.
Westbrook, who was limping, had to come out of the game. Eventually, it was announced that Westbrook suffered a torn ACL on the play. He missed the remainder of the series, which resulted in a huge blow to Oklahoma City's championship chances.
The Thunder were coming off a 60-22 season. On "The Pat Bev Podcast with Rone," Beverley revealed that he received death threats from the Thunder's ball boy. Beverley talked about how he was shocked at the reaction from the play.
"I had a ball boy threaten to kill me. Over the Russell Westbrook injury. I go back to Houston. I'm practicing, you know, this is my first fucking year in the NBA. I don't even know what the fuck's going on. I don't even know, you know what the fuck a magnitude is of OKC. I'm just trying to win a f***ing basketball game.
"Go back to Houston, Kevin McHale goes, 'Hey, buddy just watch out for the media. You know, the story has it Westbrook's out.' 'Out? what happened?' 'He tore his meniscus,' (McHale said.) I'm like, 'Damn, what the f**k happened.' I don't even know what happened, right? So they made the big story to play blah, blah, blah, blah.
"I get to OKC the next game, police officers in front. They put a police car in front of my house in Houston. I get to the hotel. I'm on the floor by myself, police guy at the door. I'm looking, I go out in the morning for tea or coffee, like a Starbucks. Police guys with me that they passing out papers of young guy's face on it like this big, he threatened to kill.
"Ah, the shit was real."
Patrick Beverley and the LA Lakers look to get back on track
Patrick Beverley has built a reputation as one of the NBA's most competitive players. He has done everything in his power to stay around in the league. While he's played for four different organizations, Beverley has made an impact in each stop.
But the current stop will present his biggest challenge yet. The LA Lakers find themselves with a 3-10 record this season. The team has struggled on offense and is desperate to get back on track.
"Sh*t, me guarding KD! Y'all didn't see that? ... I set the tone, team responded... I started off on KD. I love those matchups. That's how I make my name."
Patrick Beverley will not back down from guarding the opposing team's best player(s) 😤
https://t.co/EZ1yFMY5sL
The Lakers are coming off an impressive 116-103 win on Sunday night against the Brooklyn Nets. The team will have a pair of favorable matchups on its upcoming schedule. They are set to have the entire week off before a Friday night home game against the Detroit Pistons (3-12).
From there, the Lakers will face the San Antonio Spurs (6-8) before a three-game road trip. The Lakers are in need of a strong stretch of performances in order to climb the standings.
Veteran Patrick Beverley has struggled offensively, averaging 4.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game while shooting just 27.8%.