Patrick Beverley Recalls Thunder Ball Boy Death Threat After 2013 Westbrook Injury | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki

Los Angeles Lakers guard Patrick Beverley recently spoke about the death threat he received after he caused an injury to Russell Westbrook in the 2013 NBA playoffs.

“I had a ball boy threaten to kill me,” Beverley said on his podcast (h/t Orel Dizon of Lakers Daily).

Beverley collided with Westbrook during the first-round playoff matchup between the Houston Rockets and Oklahoma City Thunder in 2013. Westbrook suffered a torn meniscus on the play and was ruled out the rest of the playoffs. Though the Thunder won the series, they eventually lost in the second round one year after reaching the NBA Finals.

The incident led to significant blowback in Oklahoma City, as Beverley explained:

“I get to OKC the next game — police officers in front. They put a police car in front of my house in Houston. I get to the hotel. I’m on the floor by myself, police guy at the door. I’m looking. I go out in the morning for tea or coffee, like a Starbucks, police guys with me. They passing out papers with a young guy’s face on it, like this big. He threatened to kill. The s— was real.”

The feud between Beverley and Westbrook continued over the years, although they are now teammates with the Lakers. At media day, Beverley said the fellow guard is his “best friend” on the team after the trade.