Basketball: Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook lectures fan during loss to Denver Nuggets

Russell Westbrook won the NBA MVP award in 2017. Photo / Getty Images

Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook stared down a young fan who smacked him on the back during Wednesday's game against the Denver Nuggets, and followed that by lecturing the boy's father about proper crowd etiquette.

The child, who was sitting courtside, could be seen hitting Westbrook after a foul was called and the game was whistled to a stop.

Westbrook, who is famous for his intense stare, initially looked confused before he began staring at the child, who solemnly sat down. The boy then waved at Westbrook, awkwardly.

Westbrook, a married father of three, addressed the child's dad without getting angry.

"You've got to control your kids," Westbrook told reporters afterwards when asked about the exchange. "It's that simple. He's responsible for his kid. Watch the game, sit there, have fun, enjoy it.

"There's too much leeway for all the fans to touch the players and get away with it," Westbrook continued. "We can't react and do the things that we need to do to protect ourselves.

Russell Westbrook talked to a young fan and his father about crowd etiquette. Source: Twitter/ESPN

"It's important that they understand — kids, whoever it is, dads, moms — that they can say whatever they want, as long as it's respectful, but the touching, for me, is off limits."

When asked about his initial reaction towards the child, Westbrook explained that he was confused because he didn't know who had smacked him.

"No, no, then I turned around and I see it's a kid," he said. "Initially you don't know that, but I can't ... What am I going to do? Hop in the stands?"

Westbrook has previously had several run-ins with adult fans.

He yelled at a Utah Jazz fan during last April's playoffs when the man shoved a camera in his face as he walked off the floor into the locker room.

In a similar incident this season, another Jazz fan yelled something in Westbrook's face as he walked off the floor. Westbrook spun around and yelled, sending the fan reeling back into his seat.