Russ furious after on-court argument with Rondo's brother
The lopsided scoreline of Saturday's Game 5 matchup against the Los Angeles Lakers wasn't the only thing bothering Russell Westbrook.
The Houston Rockets guard exchanged words with William Rondo, the brother of Lakers veteran Rajon Rondo, midway through the fourth quarter and needed to be escorted away from him by an official.
Security asked Rajon Rondo’s brother to leave the stands after he exchanged words with Russell Westbrook. pic.twitter.com/5jG1hkInN6
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) September 13, 2020
William, who was seated in the Lakers' family section, was promptly ejected from the arena.
"People at the game, you're supposed to shut your mouth and watch the game. That's the rules, especially when you have families and people here," Westbrook told reporters postgame, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. "Apparently, I guess because (Rajon) Rondo was talking s---, (William) decided he wanted to hop in, too.
"But it's OK. I mean, it's all good, I get it. He wanted to take up for his brother ... But those rules stand for everybody though, no matter who it is, family, whatever."
Rondo came to the defense of his brother following Saturday's contest, saying William didn't use any profanity and simply waved goodbye to Westbrook.
The NBA has warned guests not to be "verbally aggressive" when in attendance at games. The Lakers guard is hopeful William won't face any further discipline from the league.
"He didn't do anything crazy," Rajon said. "He called the man 'trash.' Fans do what fans do. He's my brother first. He didn't do anything disrespectful."