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Skip Bayless Show: Host recalls needing bodyguard at 2012 NBA Finals in OKC

Updated Jan. 25, 2022 5:39 p.m. ET

Russell Westbrook has always been a lightning rod since entering the NBA.

Lauded for his otherworldly athleticism and criticized for his propensity to be an overzealous shooter, Westbrook is the very definition of polarizing.

Westbrook's style of play has been endearing to fans and effective enough to land him in the postseason 11 times in his career. It has also landed him on four teams in the past four seasons.

A frequent critic of Westbrook has been FS1's very own Skip Bayless, and those critiques at one point became too much for some fans in Oklahoma City, Bayless' hometown.

During an episode of "The Skip Bayless Show" podcast, Bayless recalled how he received death threats from Oklahoma City Thunder fans during the 2012 NBA Finals.

"Real, live, hard-core death threats," Bayless said. "I thought they were legitimate death threats, so I passed them along to ESPN security. So as we are about to venture to my hometown, Oklahoma City, they had to hire me a bodyguard, who wound up being a Los Angeles cop whose primary duty was to serve and protect the chief of police when he went out in public."

Skip Bayless needed a bodyguard in OKC after criticizing Westbrook

Skip Bayless tells the story of why he needed a bodyguard when he returned to his hometown of Oklahoma City for the NBA Finals after criticizing former Thunder star Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook averaged 23.1 points, 5.9 assists and 5.5 rebounds while shooting 43.5% from the field during that run to the NBA Finals, though the Thunder ultimately fell to the Miami Heat in five games.

Westbrook's star continued to rise, and he won NBA MVP in the 2016-17 season.

Bayless pointed out that while Westbrook has been an excellent player on an individual basis and as a triple-double machine, the player prioritizes compiling stats over winning. And he said that the Lakers' struggles this season support this criticism.

"He got exposed for exactly what he is: nothing but a great sideshow, a solo act, a stat machine," Bayless said. "… And now Russell West-brick is THE reason that the preseason betting favorite in the NBA — LeBron's Lakers — are now a .500 team."

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