Watch: Shaquille O'Neal shares a courtside view of Russell Westbrook's brilliant dunk over Rudy Gobert
Russell Westbrook put Rudy Gobert on a poster with a Dunk of the Year candidate in Monday's LA Lakers win over the Utah Jazz. Westbrook caught the attention of the basketball fraternity, including Lakers legend Shaquille O'Neal, who had an NSFW reaction to the dunk.
In a story on his official Instagram page, O'Neal shared a video of Westbrook dunking on Gobert. The Hall of Fame center was in awe of the dunk and had some not-so-safe-for-work captions.
"RUSS HOLY S**T," exclaimed Shaquille O'Neal.
RUSSELL WESTBROOK. WOAH. 🤯 https://t.co/pjNlb5wSmP
For the first time in a while, Russell Westbrook has done something positive for the LA Lakers this season. The dunk energized the Lakers as they took a 101-95 win against the Jazz. The Lakers are back to a .500 record heading into Wednesday's game against the Indiana Pacers.
Meanwhile, the dunk is great when someone like Shaquille O'Neal gives his stamp of approval. O'Neal has posterized a lot of players during his career, as well as Westbrook. It's also not the first time the 2017 NBA MVP has dunked over Gobert. The former league MVP has dunked on the Jazz big man the past three seasons.
Russell Westbrook last 3 seasons vs Gobert.
Man where he takes off in the Lakers dunk. Sheesh https://t.co/ol3rIMpPqS
The dunk by Russell Westbrook is certainly a Dunk of the Year candidate. It's also easily the best play Westbrook has made as a member of the Lakers. Brodie played just 28 minutes against the Jazz on Monday, but he was crucial for the Lakers down the stretch.
Russell Westbrook hits dagger in LA Lakers win over Utah Jazz
Russell Westbrook was limited to just 28 minutes against the Utah Jazz. The LA Lakers bench fired on all cylinders in the fourth quarter and Westbrook only made his way back to the court with less than five minutes left. And he was crucial as the Lakers got the win.
In typical Westbrook fashion, he ran a fastbreak with less than a minute left rather than milk the clock. The star guard attacked the rim and made the layup plus the foul. He hit the bonus free throw to give the Lakers a 98-90 lead. Westbrook would then hit two clutch free throws to put the game away.
Westbrook finished the game with 15 points, eight rebounds and three assists. He was still inefficient, but made the right plays at the right time. LeBron James had 25 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists in 37 minutes. But it was the Lakers bench that did most of the damage in the fourth quarter.
Ladies and Gentlemen: Stanley Johnson #LakersWin https://t.co/n1YD5U4ns7
The Lakers bench scored 44 points, with Stanley Johnson leading the way with 15 points, five rebounds and three assists. Malik Monk added 14 points, while Talen Horton-Tucker had 11 points.
Their next game is on Wednesday at home against the Indiana Pacers. The Lakers will then have a six-game Eastern road trip with stops in Miami, Brooklyn, Atlanta and Philadelphia.