Russell Westbrook says he's no longer letting the media control narratives

CHICAGO -- Over the years, Russell Westbrook's media interactions have become legendary across social platforms through funny memes and GIFs.

A quick YouTube search of Russell Westbrook media interactions will show a laundry list of results, mostly from his Oklahoma Citytenure.

From his "What?!" response to a reporter question in Utah to his "execution" reply to all postgame questions with too many "next question" situations to count, Westbrook has developed a reputation for those infamous press encounters.

Now in Houston, Westbrook is taking a different approach. There haven't been as many of those heated interviews with local reporters as he's now understanding the media business.

"Just over the years, for me, I've allowed sometimes the media to let them create narratives of myself, and I've protected myself by communicating and I'm no longer allowing that," Westbrook said during Saturday's All-Star media availability. "So that's it."

His toddler son, Noah, joined him on the podium for his ninth All-Star selection in Chicago for Team LeBron as the former MVP didn't mind expressing a rare glimpse of himself.

Westbrook smiled with Noah on his lap and munched on chips with him in between answering questions. His role in Houston appears much different than Oklahoma City -- at least from a media perspective -- with fatherhood seemingly playing a role.

"It's great because he gets to see his dad in his element, which is the most important part, because all of this stuff really doesn't mean anything because he knows me as his father, and that's all I care about," Westbrook said of having Noah tag along.

"It's fun for him," he added. "I want to make sure he has fun. I don't really care about myself; it's more about him and making sure he enjoys it and gets a chance to see different things and experience other things in life."