Russell Westbrook has called out the online trolls who have directed abuse towards his family and "shamed" his name over his recent performances.
His wife Nina took to social media on Monday to reveal the extent of the abusive messages she had been receiving.
"When I'm being harassed on a daily basis over basketball games, and I'm having obscenity's [sic] and death wishes for me and my family sent my way because you're expressing your "truth", it's hard for me to get on board with that," she wrote.
Basketball star Westbrook and his family have become targets for online trolls amid a poor run of form for the Los Angeles Lakers, who have lost five of their last six matches.
Those results have left the team ninth in the NBA Western Conference, and as one of the star names and the highest-paid player Westbrook has bore the brunt of much of the criticism.
'Westbrick' is one of the more popular parody names among those who feel his performances have not been up to scratch.
Reacting to his wife's public post about receiving abuse, the 33-year-old said: "I 100% stand behind my wife and how she's feeling.
"When it comes to basketball, I don't mind the criticism of missing and making shots. But the moment it becomes where my name is getting shamed, it becomes an issue."
He went on to reveal that he came to that realisation after being told by his four-year-old son's teacher that the youngster often speaks of how proud he is of his surname.
"I kind of sat there in shock, and it hit me, like, 'I can no longer allow people (to besmirch my name)," he added.
"A lot of times, I let it slide. But now it's time to put a stop to that. Every time I do hear it now, I will make sure that I nip that in the bud.
"I don't even want to bring my kids to the game because I don't want them to hear people calling their dad nicknames and other names for no reason because he's playing the game that he loves."
The Lakers' most recent defeat came against the San Antonio Spurs, in which Westbrook managed 17 points and 10 rebounds.
LA were missing LeBron James, who would have been set to play a major role in the game after a 56-point return in victory over the Golden State Warriors.
However, the Space Jam star also picked up a knee problem which left him watching on from the sidelines as his side slipped to a 117-110 defeat against the Spurs.
