Russell Westbrook is unstoppable after Taylor Swift releases a single
On Tuesday, Russell Westbrook attended a Taylor Swift concert and had a grand old time, but does his affinity for the pop star have an impact on the court?
There has long been a debate over Taylor Swift’s impact on sports. Last fall, MLB.com noted that the San Francisco Giants had won the World Series the last three times she released an album. That seemed to contradict the feeling NHL fans have toward Swift, as she’s brought bad luck to teams a few times. She even distracted Patrick Kane during a game.
That’s why some have said Taylor Swift is bad news for Russell Westbrook.
As it turns out, since they both became stars, Swift and her singles have been good luck charms for Westbrook. Below, we’ve compiled Westbrook’s stats in his first game after Swift drops a new single, starting with the 2011–12 season.
2011–12/Speak Now
Record | Release date | Game date | Opponent | W/L | FG | FGA | FG% | PTS | AST | REB |
“Safe & Sound” | 12/26/11 | 12/26/11 | at T'Wolves | Win (+4) | 10 | 21 | .476 | 28 | 6 | 6 |
“Long Live” | 3/1/12 | 3/1/12 | at Magic | Win (+3) | 11 | 21 | .524 | 29 | 10 | 2 |
“Eyes Open” | 3/27/12 | 3/27/12 | at Blazers | Win (+14) | 16 | 26 | .615 | 32 | 8 | 3 |
“Both of Us” | 5/22/12 | 5/27/12 | at Spurs | Loss (-3) | 7 | 21 | .333 | 12 | 5 | 5 |
Season avg. with Swift |
|
|
| 3–1 | 11 | 22.3 | .494 | 25.3 | 7.3 | 4.0 |
Season avg. overall |
|
|
| 47–19 | 8.8 | 19.2 | .457 | 23.6 | 5.5 | 4.6 |
2012–13/Red
Record | Release date | Game date | Opponent | W/L | FG | FGA | FG% | PTS | AST | REB |
“I Knew You Were Trouble” | 11/27/12 | 11/28/12 | vs. Rockets | W (+22) | 6 | 13 | .400 | 14 | 9 | 5 |
“22” | 3/12/13 | 3/13/13 | vs. Jazz | W (+23) | 6 | 11 | .545 | 19 | 9 | 7 |
“Highway Don’t Care” | 3/25/13 | 3/27/13 | vs. Wizards | W (+23) | 5 | 8 | .625 | 21 | 4 | 4 |
Season avg. with Swift |
|
|
| 3–0 | 5.7 | 10.7 | .531 | 18.0 | 7.3 | 5.3 |
Season avg. overall |
|
|
| 60–22 | 8.2 | 18.7 | .438 | 23.2 | 7.4 | 5.2 |
2013–14/Red
Record | Release date | Game date | Opponent | W/L | FG | FGA | FG% | PTS | AST | REB |
“The Last Time” | 11/4/13 | 11/6/13 | vs. Mavs | W (+14) | 10 | 20 | .500 | 22 | 4 | 1 |
Season avg. with Swift |
|
|
| 1–0 | 10 | 20 | .500 | 22 | 4 | 1 |
Season avg. overall |
|
|
| 34–12 | 7.5 | 17.2 | .437 | 21.8 | 6.9 | 5.7 |
Note: Westbrook only played 46 games in 2013-14, missing time due to knee injuries.
2014–15/1989
Record | Release date | Game date | Opponent | W/L | FG | FGA | FG% | PTS | AST | REB |
“Blank Space” | 11/10/14 | 11/28/14 | vs. Knicks | W (+27) | 12 | 17 | .750 | 32 | 8 | 7 |
“Style” | 2/9/15 | 2/9/15 | at Nuggets | W (+10) | 8 | 14 | .571 | 26 | 9 | 5 |
Season avg. with Swift |
|
|
| 2–0 | 10.0 | 15.5 | .645 | 29.0 | 8.5 | 6.0 |
Season avg. overall |
|
|
| 40–27 | 9.5 | 22.0 | .426 | 28.1 | 8.6 | 7.3 |
Note: Westbrook suffered an injury on October 30th, three days after the release of Swift’s 1989
Career totals
| W/L | FG | FGA | FG% | PTS | AST | REB |
Career avg. with Swift | 9–1 (+137) | 9.1 | 17.2 | .529 | 23.5 | 6.2 | 4.5 |
Career avg. overall | 309–198 | 7.4 | 17.2 | .432 | 21.1 | 7.1 | 5.2 |
Westbrook has won nine of 10 games after the release of a new single, and the Thunder have outscored opponents by a total of 137 points. He has seen jumps in his field goal percentage each season, and is scoring two more points per game than his career average.
Rock on, Russ. Let’s hope Taylor Swift drops some more singles this year so you and Kevin Durant have a shot at winning a title before he enters free agency next off-season.
- Kenny Ducey
