Russell Westbrook’s Wife Nina Blasts Critics for Comparing Her Husband to Vampire

• Russell Westbrook's wife has blasted ESPN for comparing her husband with a vampire
• The former Lakers player was traded to the Utah Jazz ahead of the NBA trade deadline
• Several players have come to Westbrook's defence, demanding ESPN reveal its source

The Russell Westbrook era with the Los Angeles Lakers is over.

The 2017 NBA MVP was traded to the Utah Jazz along with top-four protected 2027 first-round picks, with D'Angelo Russell, Jarred Vanderbilt and Malik Beasley moving to the Lakers and Mike Conley Jr to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

After the trade, there were mixed reactions from fans and analysts.

According to his source, one ESPN analyst compared Westbrook to a vampire consuming the blood from a room. The point guard's wife, Nina was not pleased with that comment.

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The Lakers have been trying to move Westbrook since the off-season but failed to find a suitable deal. Rumors spread that they were trying to send him and the two first-round picks to Indiana for Myles Turner and Buddy Hield.

They also tried to land Kyrie Irving a few days ago in a deal which would have included Westbrook, but the former Brooklyn Nets All-Star guard decided to join the Dallas Mavericks, per CBS Sports.

The Lakers' poor start was attributed to Westbrook by many fans. However, he took a bench role and instantly became productive.

There are rumors that the Jazz will waive the point guard and enter the market. Los Angeles Clippers and the Chicago Bulls are expected to be potential suitors.

Nina Westbrook blasts analyst

The 34-year-old went from being one of the best point guards in the game with several seasons averaging a triple-double, to one of the most criticised players in the NBA.

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After his trade from the Lakers, critics were quick to scrutinise why his era in Los Angeles failed. ESPN reporter, Dave McMenamin said one source compared the former Oklahoma City Thunder man a creature consuming blood.

"You remove a vampire from the locker room, meaning the vampire [consumes] the blood out of the locker room."

Westbrook's wife was livid. She posted a lengthy response on Instagram, blasting ESPN and defending her husband, per Clutchpoints.

“This is just sick ESPN…” Nina wrote. “Russell is no vampire. This is also slander because anyone who knows anything knows that this couldn’t be farther from the truth. On a personal note, I have school aged children who have to listen to their peers repeat the nasty things that you guys say on television about their father. I guess I will prepare myself to explain to my 5 year old that his dad is not actually a vampire."

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Several NBA players commented on the Instagram post, asking ESPN to name the source of information.

@carmeloanthony:

"Whose the source?"

@spidadmitchell:

"Stop it."

@cp3:

"Put a name on it…"

@qrich:

"A source!? Knock it off and name that source or don’t tell me what they said!!"

Westbrook makes history

Sports Brief earlier reported on Westbrook making the top 10 on the NBA all-time assists list, surpassing NBA Hall of Famer, Gary Payton.

Chris Paul (third) and LeBron James (sixth) are the only other active players in the top 10, and Westbrook currently leads all bench players in assists.

The former OKC Thunder guard now has a total of 8994 assists in his career, averaging a triple-double four times in five seasons and being all-time leader in triple-doubles in NBA history.