Westbrook apologetic, says hitting official with ball was unintentional
To fans catching the Oklahoma City Thunder-Charlotte Hornets game on Wednesday night, it appeared as though Russell Westbrook tossing the basketball at unsuspecting referee Tre Maddox's head in the first quarter was completely accidental.
The five-time All-Star was assessed a technical foul for his actions, the same day he had two of his previous technicals rescinded by the league.
Following OKC's 11-point loss at the Spectrum Center, Westbrook made it clear that there was simply miscommunication on the part of him and the official, and that he didn't mean to clock him in the head.
"I called his name. He turned right at me and then looked away. I don't know," Westbrook said, according to ESPN's Royce Young. "I don't know what to tell you, brother. I really don't. I'm not the type of guy ... I would never, ever disrespect the game like that and throw the ball at the referee. I've never done it before. That's just not even heard of in the game before. To get a tech, it's crazy to me. But you take the good with the bad."
Maddox wasn't the one who issued the tech, though, as it was head official Sean Corbin blowing the whistle on Westbrook.
"Instead of Russell giving the ball to the nearest official, he throws it in the area where Tre is and Tre's not looking, and the ball hits him in the face," Corbin said. "So that's a technical foul."
Westbrook now has 10 techs on the season, with his 16th resulting in an automatic one-game suspension.