The NBA is doing an about-face on Russell Westbrook’s pillow-soft technical foul from Tuesday night.
The Denver Nuggets guard Westbrook was whistled for perhaps the most curious T of the season against the Memphis Grizzlies. In the third quarter, Westbrook got past Grizzlies big man Santi Aldama, converted the layup, and then briefly stared at Aldama before running back up the floor. But somehow, that was enough for veteran referee Courtney Kirkland to immediately call Westbrook for a technical.
Here is the video.
Russ was called for a tech after a stare down pic.twitter.com/vpnl64qCL2
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) November 20, 2024
The NBA ultimately decided to reverse the decision though. On Wednesday, they announced that they were officially rescinding the tech on Westbrook after a league review.
Westbrook, the former MVP, now avoids having to pay a $2,000 fine for the T. That isn’t the only good news for him lately either as Westbrook finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists in Denver’s 122-110 victory over Memphis. As a result, he became the first player in NBA history to log 200 career triple-doubles.
Mr. Triple Double https://t.co/bogNEPuXem pic.twitter.com/IZluOli9pg
— AltitudeTV (@AltitudeTV) November 20, 2024
The 36-year-old Westbrook has had many tech-worthy offenses throughout his pro career (some that have even gotten him ejected from playoff games). But the league has formally determined that Tuesday’s light staredown of Aldama was not one of them.
