Dave and Dia on Russell Westbrook

Los Angeles Lakers point guard Russell Westbrook has not had a good first season with the club, becoming the lightning rod for a 28-36 start which not only isn’t championship-worthy, but might not even be good enough to make the playoffs. He’s received criticism from plenty of NBA pundits and analysts, including Lakers Hall-of-Famer Magic Johnson.

But professional criticism isn’t weighing on Westbrook’s mind as much as his treatment at the hands of fans. Over the past two days, he’s spoken out about harassment, lamenting the effect of taunts on his family. He invoked the experience of his son at school, and suggested that diminishing the family name also diminished him. Doing so, he called into question the advisability of such taunts, inviting discussion over the boundaries between fair and unfair conduct towards players by NBA fans.

In this episode of Dave and Dia Daily, the ultra-short version of the Dave and Dia Podcast, Dave Deckard and Dia Miller discuss Westbrook’s comments, proper boundaries, and their personal feelings about the noble and/or seedy side of sports fandom.

You can listen to this episode or download it here, or just hit play on the embed below!