Los Angeles Clippers shooter Reggie Jackson tripped up Russell Westbrook in the most embarrassing way before scoring 3 soon after.
When Reggie Jackson and Russell Westbrook both played in Oklahoma City, it was Jackson who played behind Westbrook.
Now that both point guards are in Los Angeles—for the Clippers and Lakers, respectively—it’s Jackson who was playing ahead of Westbrook during their March 3 showdown.
The Clippers embarrassed the Lakers with a 21-point win, ending with a final score of 132-111. Reggie Jackson had a night, scoring 36 in a season-high performance. Twelve of those points came in the fourth quarter, and three of those 12 points came after Jackson shamed his former Thunder teammate.
Reggie Jackson exacted revenge against Russell Westbrook with ankle-breaking crossover
Jackson and Westbrook may have been teammates at one time, but the competition for the starting role in Oklahoma City engendered a beef between the two. With both players being known as passionate competitors, Westbrook never took Jackson under his wing in OKC and helped him to develop. Rather, Westbrook was described as “cutthroat”, even during team practices.
Jackson wanted to be a starter, but he never took over from Westbrook. Jackson’s frustration reached a boiling point as his relationship soured with the team, and he was traded to the Detroit Pistons in 2015.
With Jackson and Westbrook now competing against one another in L.A., Jackson’s crossover juke that broke Westbrook’s ankles has levels that go beyond this singular game. Interestingly enough, the two are experiencing opposites now: Westbrook’s poor performances have been critiqued all year, while Reggie Jackson is being praised for taking over the Clippers after Kawhi Leonard and Paul George have been out. With the crowd chanting Reggie’s name in their exhilarating win, it seems Jackson has won out after all these years—at least in 2022. It definitely got to Westbrook, who clearly tried to trip Jackson after he juked him.
Westbrook may have won in Oklahoma City, but in Los Angeles, Jackson won their most recent battle—and the Clippers are winning out over the Lakers in the rankings, with another win putting the 34-31 team one spot ahead of the 27-35 Lakers.