Oklahoma City Thunder

Mark Cuban says Russell Westbrook isn't a superstar

Published Apr. 25, 2016 7:19 p.m. ET

Nunzio Ingrassia

It's been a rough-and-tumble series between the Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks. And it looks like Mark Cuban just threw a little gasoline on the fire.

The outspoken Mavs owner was fielding questions Monday before Game 5, with the Thunder holding a 3-1 series lead. Cuban said the Thunder have just one superstar, Kevin Durant. When reminded about point guard Russell Westbrook, Cuban was armed with a zinger.

"[Westbrook's] an All-Star but not a superstar," Cuban said.

Transcript of @realmarkcuban saying Russell Westbrook is an All-Star, but no superstar: https://t.co/JYZ7gbfTxw pic.twitter.com/t39NLbKDEJ
— Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) April 25, 2016

Cuban’s rationalization?

“When you look at Dirk [Nowitzki] – I’m not going to talk about other team’s players other than what I just said – Dirk for 15 years won 50 games no matter what,” Cuban added. “We put Moe, Larry and Curly next to him and he won 50 games … and I know there’s your headline.

“Russell’s certainly an All-Star, but I consider Durant a superstar. You look at Dirk all those years to now, he carries teams to 50 wins. To me, that’s (what makes a superstar) … when you by yourself … it wasn’t until we got [Jason Kidd] that we had another Hall of Famer. So, to go the 15 years where Dirk won 50, that’s a superstar. There’s only a few guys that you put them on any team and they’ll win 50 games. To me that’s the definition of a superstar.”

Westbrook was a triple-double machine for the Thunder this season, racking up 18 triple-doubles to tie Magic Johnson for the most in a season in the past 40 years. Westbrook averaged 23.5 points, 10.4 assists and 7.8 rebounds to go along with 2.0 steals in the regular season. Westbrook has nearly mirrored those numbers in the first four games of this season, averaging 23.5 points, 11.8 assists, 6.0 rebounds and 1.8 steals.

That type of production, along with his unmatched fashion sense, easily puts him in the superstar category. With the Mavericks on the verge of elimination and heading back to Oklahoma City, it's probably not the best course of action to antagonize a player who thrives off emotion.