Kerr: Westbrook's attitude toward media 'dangerous for the league'

Russell Westbrook's postgame conduct is being scrutinized again after the Oklahoma City Thunder star refused to answer questions from The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel on Friday.

Westbrook responded "next question" until another reporter asked a question during a press conference following a win over the Portland Trail Blazers. Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr doesn't like that tact.

“I think it’s dangerous for the league,” Kerr said of Westbrook's attitude toward the media after the Warriors beat the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday, according to The Athletic's Ethan Strauss.

Kerr believes Westbrook's behavior, which Thunder teammate Paul George echoed at the same press conference, could erode what's making the NBA so popular with fans, and lucrative for the league.

“I just feel that we have to be very careful as a league,” Kerr said. “We’re in a good place right now. Very popular. Fans love the game, the social dynamic, the fashion. But more than anything they love the connection they feel to the players. I think it’s important for the players to understand that it’s a key dynamic to this league. I don’t think this is a healthy dynamic, for this league, for any player, any team, any local media, any national media.”

Tramel addressed the situation in a piece earlier this month. The columnist wrote that Westbrook's demeanor is a product of his desire to control every aspect of his life.

"The idea that Westbrook has some personal issue with me is misguided. That’s not true. Westbrook’s issue is with media in general," Tramel wrote. "I don’t know from where his original distrust came, but I know he’s allowed it to fester over the years, with no guidance from Thunder officials. It’s too late - far too late - to do anything about it now."