Sports commentator Skip Bayless is no stranger to controversy among athletes. Whenever he states his opinion, commotion follows. This type of energy has gained him a reputation for being a sports media troll as opposed to being a neutral party in his expertise. While he may get paid to evaluate sport performance on the likes of Antonio Brown or LeBron James, one person who is not a fan of his comments is Nina Westbrook.
Nina, wife of Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook, didn’t take to kindly for Bayless’ petty antics and took to her Instagram story to air out her annoyance. The marriage and family therapist, called the reporting veteran out on Friday.
Nina said, “I just found out that @skipbayless blocked me on Twitter… as though I’m the one [constantly] harassing him and calling him out of his name.” She continued, “Mr Bayless. I’m a real person. If you’re able to use your platform to degrade my husband and constantly call him out of his name, then at least be adult enough to deal with the consequences of your actions. Don’t try to erase me from your reality to make yourself feel better about your choices.”
Russell, whose been categorized as a poor performer since joining the Lakers, has received no mercy from sports critics especially Bayless.
However, Nina took to Twitter and addressed her premature mistake, or misunderstanding while modifying her behavior in support of her husband. “I was mistaken… twitter fingers, ” she wrote. “I’m not blocked and free to respond to his tweets, which I gladly will.”
She did demand an apology from Bayless for referring to Westbrook as “Westbrick” on the court. “I’m tired [of] @RealSkipBayless calling my husband out of his name. It is extremely childish,” she wrote. “That is my name as well, and many other peoples name. You’re disrespectful, and I’m extremely offended by your behavior. You should apologize.”
Bayless took time out to respond to her remarks defending himself citing that he didn’t “block” the 33-year-old’s wife. “Dear Mrs. Westbrook: Thank you for clarifying that I didn’t block you,” he said. “I welcome your criticism and appreciate your [sic] defending your husband. But I will continue to tell the truth as I see it.”
The “Undisputed” co-host placed a lot of the blame for the Lakers lackluster season on the PG’s struggle to find footing with the franchise this season. Bayless took to Twitter sprouting a bit of a different tune in terms of what the team needs as of now.
Westbrook was traded last summer with hopes of getting a championship alongside franchise players Anthony Davis and LeBron James. 10-time All-Star Carmelo Anthony also joined the Lakers for a one-year deal with the same goals of being championship contenders. They could possibly miss the play-in-tournament.