NBA

Grizzlies fan reveals what Russell Westbrook tried to have him ejected for

Russell Westbrook really, really does not like being called “Westbrick.”

Wednesday night, during the second quarter of a game in which Westbrook scored 38 points to lead the Clippers to a road win over the Grizzlies, Westbrook attempted to have a Memphis fan ejected for apparent heckling.

The fan in question was 30-year-old Benjamin Orgel, who works in real estate in Memphis, and he told his side of the story to The Post.

“You’re gonna laugh when you hear this,” Orgel said.

“He had his back to me, and all I said was ‘Westbrick.’ I didn’t say ‘you suck.’ I didn’t say anything. I just said ‘West-brick,’ one time, like chanting it.”

The situation escalated from there.

“Then he turned around and said, ‘What did you say to me?'”

“Westbrick,” Orgel repeated.

“Then he says, ‘What the f–k did you call me?'” Orgel recalled. “I said, ‘Westbrick.’ Then he said, ‘Throw him out of the f–king game.'”

The Grizzlies fan was confronted by multiple security guards and asked to leave his seat.

“The Clippers’ security and NBA security took me in the back, and I told them what happened,” Orgel said.

“I said, ‘Guys, honestly I only said ‘Westbrick.’ I didn’t say ‘you suck.’ I didn’t say anything.’ And they said, ‘Look, we verified what happened with Russell and you can go back to the game.’ I was back in my seats like 30 seconds later.”

Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) points out a heckling fan to referees
Clippers guard Russell Westbrook points out a heckling fan to referees. AP
30-year-old Grizzlies fan Benjamin Orgel explained that Russell Westbrook sought to have him ejected for calling him West-brick.
30-year-old Grizzlies fan Benjamin Orgel explained that Russell Westbrook sought to have him ejected for calling him West-brick. Bally Sports

Westbrook has previously confronted a fan who called him by the same name, and has publicly bemoaned having his surname altered to make fun of his poor shooting percentage in recent years.

Asked about how his impressions of Westbrook changed after Wednesday night’s incident, Orgel said, “I honestly feel bad for the guy that if someone calls him Westbrick it’d make him that upset.”

“I looked on social media after the game and it was funny,” Orgel said.

“Even Dave Portnoy was saying that Westbrook gets upset when people call him Westbrick — people just assumed that was what happened, which is actually the truth!”

Westbrook once challenged Skip Bayless, saying the FS1 host would not call him West-brick to his face (if they ever did meet face-to-face, Bayless would still in all likelihood be willing to use the name), and the point guard’s wife, Nina, also bemoaned the nickname.

“It’s very disheartening that you would choose to continue to shame my family name,” Nina Westbrook tweeted at Bayless last June.

“Today was a really sad day for my daughters and me. The fact that you can’t respect a simple request not to try to tarnish my family name is saddening and such a pile on. It’s extremely hurtful.”

In his conversation with The Post, Orgel remained astonished that such mild heckling would get under Westbrook’s skin to this extent.

“I understand fan conduct,” he said. “I’ve been going to 35 games a year since the Grizzlies moved to Memphis in 2000. I know how to behave.”