Russell Westbrook Responds To All-Star Starting Lineup Snub After Stephen Curry Gets The Spot

It’s undeniable that Russell Westbrook failing to be the starting point guard for the West in the 2017 NBA All-Star game is one of the biggest snugs of the current basketball season. The Oklahoma City Thunder superstar has been putting up some pretty amazing stats in his first season without Kevin Durant. So why did Stephen Curry, who hasn’t done much since acquiring Westbrook’s former teammate, win the top spot?

It’s no secret that the West is fully loaded with some of the best players in the NBA and with that, they have many of the best point guards too. That includes Russell Westbrooke, Stephen Curry, Chris Paul, James Harden and Tony Parker. No matter who ends up going to the All-Star game this year, someone is going to get snubbed because all of them are great point guards.

The problem is, even though the Golden State Warriors are the top-seeded team in the West right now, they absolutely do not have the best point guard because that is hands down, Russell Westbrook. So why did Stephen Curry and James Harden beat Westbrook when voting in the 2017 NBA All-Star team?

This time around, it all came down to the fan vote, and both Harden and Curry just have a lot more fans. Westbrook actually came in first place with the media vote and the player vote, probably because he’s been putting up the best stats this season. When it came down to the fan vote, Curry and Harden ended up winning it all because their fans overwhelmingly voted to support their favorite players.

The 2017 NBA All-Star team is the first one where the media and players have been given a voice in deciding who plays on the team. The way it all worked out, even though Westbrook won first place in votes from the media and players, he came in third with the fans but the fan vote ended up being the tie-breaker because they carry 50 percent of the weight in the vote.

Russell Westbrook is taking his snub with dignity and doesn’t seem too upset about not getting a top spot in the All-Star game. On Friday, ESPN shared Westbrook’s reaction after learning that he won’t be a starter on the All-Star team this year.

“It is what it is,” Westbrook said. “That’s the nature of the business, the game. I just play. I don’t play for All-Star bids. I play to win championships, and every night I compete at a high level, and it’ll work out.”

“I just continue doing what I’m doing and play the game the right way, and everything else will work out.”

Even though Westbrook probably should have been given a starting spot in the 2017 NBA All-Star Game, he’s been pretty diplomatic about it. He made sure to mention, “It’s a great honor… and being an All-Star is something you don’t take for granted.”

Right now, Russell Westbrook is leading the NBA in scoring with an average of 30.6 points per game. He is also leading the league with triple-doubles, having achieved 21 of them so far this season. Westbrook is also bringing in an average of 10.4 assists and 10.6 rebounds per game. There have been several calls recently for Westbrook to be the league MVP, which is what makes the All-Star snub so unbelievable but it doesn’t seem to phase the Oklahoma City Thunder star.

After voting, the All-Star lineup for the West includes Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, James Harden, and Kevin Durant in addition to Stephen Curry. At this point, Russell Westbrook hasn’t even made the All-Star team yet. The All-Star reserves are picked by the coaches of the East and West teams and will be announced on Thursday.

The 2017 NBA All-Star Game will be played on February 19 in New Orleans at the Smoothie King Center.

[Featured Image by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images]