Oklahoma City Thunder's Russell Westbrook is known for his smiles, jokes and even outrageous shirts, but in Thursday's game against the Memphis Grizzlies, the star completely lost his temper.

The 24-year-old All-Star guard experienced a serious meltdown on the sidelines after an offensive position, that left many fans and sports analysts wondering what happened, even Westbrook himself.

According to SI.com, Westbrook had been called for a five-second violation while posting up Grizzles' guard, Jerry Bayless. He then exchanged a few words with his own teammate Thabo Sefolosha, who had cut through the lane moments before, bringing the second defender into his area. Westbrook punched the ball to the court and ran back on defense.

Following the incident, Westbrook took a seat next to assistant coach Mo Cheeks who tried to calm him down, but was unsuccessful. Westbrook threw the chair next to him and walked to the team's locker room shortly after.

After the game, TNT analyst Craig Sager interviewed Westbrook at his locker to find out what went down. "In the quarter, words were exchanged. What got you so upset?" Sager asked.

"Nothing, just a little miscommunication," Westbrook answered.

The conversation turned a bit awkward when Sager followed up with, "I know that happens once in a while...but at times do you think you need to control your temper more?"

"No I control it like a man, like I did," Westbrook said. 

Check the interview here:

Of the incident, head coach Scott Brooks later said: "There is no question he was frustrated with himself-there's no question...He had a turnover."

"Russell's an emotional guy. He plays every night for his team-every night," Brooks added.

Westbrook later joined the game and helped his team with a 106-89 victory over Memphis. He finished with 21 points.

Kevin Durant also finished big with a game-high of 27 points, seven rebounds and six assists. "Russ is so emotional he wants to win so bad, he wants to give it all for our team. It's just a bump in the road, he has to continue being himself," Durant said on TNT.

Tags: sports NBA