Aaron Gordon Rejects ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne’s Russell Westbrook Report After OKC Loss Puts Personal Promise in Jeopardy

“I don’t feel like talking about the game…” — and honestly, AG didn’t have to. He made headlines anyway. Aaron Gordon didn’t just bring the smoke after the Denver Nuggets’ 112-105 meltdown in Game 5 against the Thunder — he brought the whole grill. While the rest of the squad looked like their controller batteries died in the fourth quarter, AG showed up postgame with a mic drop moment aimed squarely at ESPN’s Ramona Shelburne.

Her long-form piece about Russell Westbrook — complete with play-by-plays, locker room tension, and subtle digs — clearly struck a nerve. And Gordon, in the middle of a do-or-die playoff series, wasn’t having ANY of it. “Earlier, I caught wind of an article that came out about Russell Westbrook… which was a completely arbitrary article and pointless and unnecessary by whoever it was that put it out.”

AG just called ESPN’s coverage more useless than a white crayon. Let’s rewind real quick before we get into the Westbrook part of the saga. The Nuggets were rolling through three quarters in OKC. Then the fourth quarter happened… and it hit harder than a surprise group project in college.

Outside of Nikola Jokic (a.k.a. Denver’s walking MVP cheat code), the Nuggets shot 1-of-15 in the fourth. Yup, ONE. And the only non-Jokic bucket came in the final seconds. The Thunder didn’t even have to lock them up — Denver bricked so many shots, you’d think they were trying to build a second arena.

And let’s be honest, Jamal Murray and Jokic were dragging this team like it was a 200-pound sled. They combined for 72 of the Nuggets’ 105 points, while the rest of the team looked like they were playing with oven mitts on.

David Adelman, Denver’s interim coach, didn’t dodge blame. “If it is fatigue, that’s on me. I’m deciding who’s gonna run it, who’s gonna be out there… we didn’t have enough in the end.”

It makes sense. Jokic played 44 minutes, Murray played 42, and the rotation’s been tighter than TSA security since Round 1. Denver’s been relying on eight dudes for weeks, and the lack of depth is catching up. Michael Porter Jr. went full Casper again (1-for-7, missed two crucial threes), Christian Braun is playing “hide and seek” with the rim, and Russ… well…

AG and Westbrook – a friendship story

Russ is giving us the full Westbrook experience, and yes, that includes both the good and the “throw the remote at the wall” levels of chaos. Game 5? Airballs, clanked jumpers, decision-making that looked like it came from a Magic 8-Ball.

But Aaron Gordon isn’t giving up on his guy. In fact, he made it clearer than a Drake verse that he’s still riding with Russ. “Russ is one of the most talented basketball players that has ever played the game of basketball… and not only is he a great basketball player, but he’s an even better human being.”

That wasn’t just a defense — that was a love letter. Gordon didn’t just squash the ESPN story — he doubled down with a promise. “He’s gonna make a huge impact, and he’s gonna help us win these next two games.”

Well… Game 5’s in the books, and that didn’t exactly age like fine wine. But the intent? Noble. AG has gone on record before about wanting to help Russ win a ring, and you can feel the brotherhood between them. He even said, “We’re brothers. We spend more time with our team than we do with our own family. Of course, there’s gonna be disagreements, but that conversation wasn’t for anybody other than our own group.”

AG’s message was simple: Ramona, this wasn’t your business. Stay out of the group chat. Let’s talk about it. Shelburne’s article was an epic, 2300-word rollercoaster about Westbrook’s complicated time in Denver. From locker room tension, missed game-winners, pouting over benching, to being both the Nuggets’ spark and their storm — it painted a picture of a guy barely holding things together.

And yeah, it had receipts — anonymous sources, historical context, and moments like Westbrook missing layups in crunch time or ghosting defensive assignments. But was it the right time to drop that? Playoffs. On game day. Before Game 5.

Gordon sure doesn’t think so. And clearly, neither did Russ, who didn’t address any of it — he let AG do the talking. Denver now heads back home down 3-2 in the series. If they win Game 6, they’ll be one win away from the Western Conference Finals. But if they repeat their fourth-quarter no-show, it’ll be a wrap.

The Nuggets are built to win behind Jokic and Murray, but unless the supporting cast stops playing like background NPCs, this team is going home early.

Gordon’s gonna have to be more than just the team’s spiritual bodyguard. He needs to be that dude on both ends. And Russ? Buddy, if there was ever a time to prove AG right and shut everyone up… It’s now.

Don’t be shocked if Game 6 becomes Aaron Gordon’s revenge tour. He’s playing with a chip on his shoulder, defending his teammate, fact-checking ESPN like a walking lie detector, and promising wins in the face of elimination.

AG isn’t just talking. He’s daring his squad to back it up. And if the Nuggets do come back and win this series? Somebody at ESPN might want to deactivate their Twitter.