LOS ANGELES — The brother of Houston Rockets star Russell Westbrook was escorted out of Staples Center because of his role in a heated verbal confrontation with Los Angeles Clippers forward Montrezl Harrell and for “rushing the court” at the end of Friday night’s game, security officials told Yahoo Sports.
“He rushed the court,” a security official told Yahoo Sports. “He was in clear violation.”
The incident took place after the final buzzer of the Clippers’ 122-119 victory over the Rockets.
Raynard Westbrook, the younger brother of the Rockets’ star, and Harrell participated in an intense back and forth as both teams were headed to the locker room.
There was some distance between the two until Raynard stepped on the court to continue the banter, and arena security cut off his path and directed him off the court.
While continuing the verbal sparring, Raynard was moved along the seats behind the basket closest to the Clippers’ bench before being asked to exit the arena. Raynard complied and walked out with the assistance of security personnel with no further incident.
Some fans recognized who he was and one fan shouted, “That’s Russ’ brother!”
“I ride for my team and my city,” Harrell told Yahoo Sports about the incident. “All I care about is who’s on my team. And we won. That’s all that matters.”
Harrell finished the game with 18 points and seven rebounds.
More from Yahoo Sports: