NBA Rumors: Is Kobe Bryant Recruiting Russell Westbrook?

Russell Westbrook's friends have got his back.

When Westbrook was recently criticized for taking 43 shots in the Oklahoma City Thunder loss against the Indiana pacers, Lakers star Kobe Bryant was quick to defend the point guard.

Bryant tweeted a meme of 30 Rock character Liz Lemon (Tina Fey) rolling her eyes. On the meme, it read, "54-9 AND 8 AST 49% FROM FIELD BUT ALL MEDIA CARES ABOUT IS THE 43 FGA'S." Bryant captioned it, "#StopIt."

In response to the support, Westbrook said, "That's my guy. That's my guy. That's my guy. Definitely Kobe is a good friend of mine and somebody that being in LA I was able to watch and see become a Hall of Famer and one of the best players to play the game. It's an honor to be able to see somebody like that to be able to have your back and support you."

Although several basketball players often tweet their support for one another, many are already speculating that Bryant might have an agenda. Rumors are swirling that the 36-year-old wants to bring Westbrook over to LA. Westbrook played high school basketball at Leuzinger, located in Lawndale, CA and then college ball at UCLA.

Rapper Snoop Dogg previously tried to persuade Westbrook to come to the Lakers as well.

He posted this image two months ago:

Despite these rumors, Westbrook is under contract until 2017. Westbrook finished the season averaging 28.1 points per game with 8.6 assists and 7.3 rebounds.

The Thunder, who did not have Kevin Durant for the second half of the season, fell short of the playoffs. They finished 45-37.