Nina Westbrook, the spouse of Sacramento Kings level guard Russell Westbrook, publicly shared an electronic mail she mentioned she obtained, which wished for her and her husband to “die in a automobile crash” after he scored simply 5 factors within the Kings’ Thursday evening loss to the Orlando Magic.
In an Instagram story on Friday, which included a screenshot of the e-mail, Nina Westbrook tied the hostility to the expansion of playing tradition, which has coincided with elevated vitriol towards gamers and their households throughout sports activities. The Athletic couldn’t independently confirm the authenticity of the e-mail. An electronic mail message despatched to the sender’s tackle within the screenshot went unanswered.
Within the expletive-laden message, the author mentioned Russell Westbrook “sucks to fckn dangerous can’t even get 10 factors is pathetic I hope you each die in a automobile crash dumb b—-.”
The e-mail didn’t specify whether or not the author misplaced cash on Thursday’s sport, however Westbrook referred to as out the loss of life want as possible being betting-related.
“The unfavourable results of sports activities betting. Brings out the worst in folks smh,” she wrote in her submit’s caption.
After Westbrook’s submit went viral Friday morning, she shared an extended observe thanking followers for his or her assist and explaining her expertise with hateful messages within the wake of the elevated enlargement of sports activities betting lately.
“Sadly, this isn’t an remoted incident. It’s one thing my husband and I contemplate routine. With that mentioned, I’m sharing this now as a result of I’m rising more and more involved for athletes,” she wrote, citing her expertise as a licensed marriage and household therapist.
“I felt it vital to spotlight the results that sports activities betting has on people and the way it places athletes and their households in doubtlessly harmful positions.”
Many faculty {and professional} athletes have spoken publicly about receiving threats from folks indignant about misplaced wagers, with reactions starting from disgust to dismissal. Gamers reminiscent of New York Knicks stars Jalen Brunson and Josh Hart informed The Athletic final yr that they frequently obtain threats and feedback wishing accidents upon them, together with racial assaults. Some mentioned they don’t normally report such messages to the NBA as a result of they obtain so many or try to not take them significantly.
Comparable conduct plagues faculty athletes, with an October survey by the NCAA discovering 36 p.c of Division I males’s basketball gamers reported experiencing on-line abuse associated to sports activities betting in 2025. The survey included responses by 6,800 student-athletes from 163 colleges.
Nina Westbrook admitted to not having “all of the solutions,” however mentioned postgame threats have “confirmed to be one of many early outcomes of amped up sports activities betting.”
Neither the Kings nor the NBA responded to requests for remark.
