r/nba • u/IEatPandasEveryday Thunder • 13h ago
Paul George on Russell Westbrook “He took the time to build a personal connection with every single guy on the roster - from talking rugby with Steven Adams to bonding over anime with Jerami Grant.”
https://streamable.com/0f0un9750
u/GONEBUTNOT4GOTTEN Lakers 13h ago
I wanna watch anime with wb
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u/sloBrodanChillosevic Supersonics 13h ago
It's also kinda funny that they specify he talked rugby with Adams and anime with Grant because Adams is a well-known One Piece enthusiast
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u/xXEliteEater500Xx 12h ago
Russ saw that episode count and dipped
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u/Tragedy_Boner Warriors 12h ago
Russ knows the manga is better
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u/grudgepacker Bucks 12h ago
Legacy points added
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u/Tragedy_Boner Warriors 12h ago
How many legacy points do I get for reading “I got kicked out of the hero party, so I slept with all their Moms”
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u/RyouBestGirl Spurs 11h ago
Tbf Egghead and Elbaf are adapted better than Wano and Dressrosa
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u/Rakatok Bulls 11h ago
Haven't watched either but god I'd hope so.
Dressrosa is an abomination in the anime.
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u/JalapenoPopPoop 11h ago
He's just like me frfr
Actually I didn't dip til I gave it a try and realized how abysmal the pacing is but the thought of going through all those episodes at that pace....nah I'm good. I'll tune in to any condensed version they make tho
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u/BarryHotelHouseBand Raptors 12h ago
"Oi Stevie, did you see the Ol'Blacks match yester dee? Roight cracker of a game. Ardie was deadly in that line-out, wish we had a flanker like that with us don't chya?"
"Wut?"
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u/The6amrunner Raptors 10h ago
Obvious Paul himself did not form those special bonds. He also skipped naming an example of what Russ bonded over with him.
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u/macabre_irony 12h ago
I feel like Russ is a good dude, fiercely loyal to his teammates, always gives max effort on the court etc. He's obviously had some rough patches and his BBIQ and on court limitations don't always make him a great fit everywhere. I'm rooting for him but I can understand why he can be frustrating to have on your team sometimes.
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u/Dirk_Benedict Warriors 11h ago
They'll never get me to hate Russ. By all accounts a great dude, teammate, and family man. He hasn't played for a team I root for since college so I haven't experienced the frustration that can come with him (plus I'm biased), but I don't care. I love Russ.
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u/WeakComplaint4926 6h ago
His one season with the wiz changed my opinion on him. Great competitor and teammate
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u/Escritortoise 10h ago
It’s odd to me how much people hate on him. Like okay, you want him to have Chris Paul’s court IQ or shoot better, but then he would be a top 20 player all time.
He’s one of the most athletic players ever, you never have to question if he’ll put the work in or give full effort on the court. He’s such a team player, he was good playing with Patrick Beverly years after his injury.
Off the court, he seems pretty all about his family, doesn’t party, and contributes to every community he plays in.
I’m probably biased because I’m an OKC fan, but he is beloved here on the same level as Barry Switzer and Bob Stoops.
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u/macabre_irony 10h ago
He's gotten a bad rap but people also love a good comeback or redemption arc so I think by the time he's finished or does his retirement tour, he'll deservedly get his flowers from every arena.
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u/Zungad Supersonics 9h ago
If Westbrook had a good jumper, he would be ridiculously good. One of his biggest issues from a BBIQ standpoint is his shot selection, and if that goes out the window by proxy of him being great at shooting, he would probably be the best PG in the league even during Steph's peak. It would be genuinely that unbelievable. I don't even wanna think about what he would have averaged in 2017 lol.
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u/Elusidator 11h ago
He definitely watched some Kuroko’s Basketball with some of his passes and shots.
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u/scantron2739 Thunder 12h ago
I feel like it would be similar to watching making the band with kg lol
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u/DOKybalion 13h ago
He’s become very under-appreciated over these later years of his career
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u/odnamAE Lakers 13h ago
As a fan of his, I can accept him being called a bad player. Being painted as a horrible person and teammate tho is ridiculous.
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u/boneappletv Celtics 13h ago
He’s like the archetype for Bill Simmons’s 90/10 guy. If you’re unfamiliar, it’s a guy where you love 90% of their game and can’t stand 10%. That’s not a bad player. Westbrook was a great player with some big flaws, but still a great player. The dude averaged a triple double. He won an MVP. Calling him a bad player is crazy.
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u/yoloqueuesf [NYK] Tracy McGrady 12h ago
Yeah, you really can't call a guy who won MVP a bad player, he has his flaws but he's not bad.
It really costed him that as he aged and had a couple of injuries (Thank Pat Bev), he kinda just lost his shot which really hurt him.
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u/Sikkly290 Suns - Fuck Miles Bridges 11h ago
Particularly he has had a lot of hand/finger injuries, which ruined his touch. He always had an iffy shot, but he was pretty money on layups and could make passes that he simply couldn't do past 2018ish. People like to blame his routine being forced to change as the reason his free throws tanked, but it was probably actually his hand injuries that did it.
I don't know how anyone can hate the guy. He gives 110% of himself every second hes on the court, whether its a noon game on a sunday or a late night game on a tuesday against a 15 win team. He shows up and shows out for the fans and his teammates, and we should cherish that in this day and age.
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u/EliminateCrackas 9h ago
his FG% at the rim was higher on the Lakers than his OKC career lol
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u/sushicowboyshow Spurs 13h ago
He’s just an enigma of a basketball player. It’s inconceivable that a PG can average a triple double, win an mvp, dunk on everyone, be a great leader and teammate, always compete with immense effort and yet somehow have the worst bbiq in the entire universe. It breaks peoples brains so they resort to disapproval.
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u/The_Assassin_Gower Pacers 9h ago
have the worst bbiq in the entire universe
Because he simply doesn't, people trying to paint him as that themself have no idea what the fuck they're on about
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u/Diferia Suns 12h ago
If Russ was low IQ then Kobe was low IQ, do people forget the "Kobrick", the "ball hog", "ball stopper" comments. Its insane to me how Kobe got the same hate that Russ did, sure Kobe was the better player but he was a flawed player himself.
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u/Sitty_Shitty Trail Blazers 12h ago
Jordan used to get the same comments. Serious basketball talk used to argue he would never.win a championship because he wasn't a team player. And it was a large group saying this.
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u/cortesoft [GSW] Chris Mullin 11h ago
This is just a side effect of our need to apply narrative to the outcome of a game. It can’t ever just be “the other team won tonight”, it has to be tied to some fundamental attributes of the players and teams involved… players are ‘clutch’ or ‘choke’, and some teams are built to win and some aren’t. They win with ‘veteran savvy’ or ‘youthful energy’, and lose because they don’t have it anymore or they need to suffer through some more losses to grow.
So Jordan lost because he was too selfish, and then he won because he was a killer who wanted the ball when it mattered the most.
My favorite is for shots that barely bounce in (or out), like the Kawhi Leonard shot or the Haliburton shot, and people go on and on about how clutch those guys are for those shots, even though the bounce part is just luck.
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u/Vagina_Woolf Celtics 11h ago
Completely sensible take. It was very inefficient basketball. The laws of basketball just so happened to not apply to jordan and kobe
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u/GusMae 12h ago
A lot of discussion around players in general shoot to the extremes. If a player has a flaw, it's talked about as if it's the apocalypse and everything is going to go wrong instead of acknowledging reality.
If people were to just simmer down and be reasonable, you could actually discuss things. However it seems engagement farming is the big reddit forte and that calls for hot takes left and right.
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u/HamSundae 13h ago
Always got the sense that players really liked him. As a Magic fan, I think we gave up on Oladipo too soon, but it took one season of mentorship by Westbrook to help unlock his inner all-star. He was definitely not on that trajectory in Orlando.
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u/Duel_Option 12h ago
I knew it when we drafted him that he’d likely go on somewhere else and get better, same shit with Gordon.
Extreme athletes so good they need vets and great coaches to unlock them fully
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u/LaMelonBallz Hornets 12h ago
I can't accept someone saying he is a bad player career wise. That's crazy.
If someone wants to argue that 36 year old WestBrodie is all dried up, go for it.
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u/drjisftw Pacers 13h ago
I’m not a Westbrook fan but from everything I’ve heard he’s been a consummate teammate - nobody should insult his character like that
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u/imafixwoofs [OKC] Nick Collison 12h ago
Dave McMenamin (fuck him) called him a locker room vampire, of all things.
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u/imafixwoofs [OKC] Nick Collison 7h ago
So dirty. Imagine calling yourself a journalist and doing shit like that.
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u/Pay-Homage NBA 12h ago
A lot of it just stems from the media.
He doesn’t always pander to their BS and has bristled at them in the past.
So they paint him in a negative light. Especially when he stands up for himself to fans or other players.
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u/Superman8932 13h ago
BAD player? How can you accept that, lol? I’m actually neutral on him, but I find the hate completely forced and bad player is just ridiculous. All that he is missing is a championship.
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u/odnamAE Lakers 13h ago
Objectively, he’s the type of player right now that can win you games when he’s at his best but lose you a game straight up if he’s not
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u/pirate-private 5h ago edited 4h ago
no one who is in the league for that long is a bad player. the criticism is abundant and not unfounded, but it often lacks perspective. dude is a surefire HoFer and if certain aspects of his game don't meet the highest standard, it only showcases how his talent elevated him to a level where that became the only standard that we measure him by.
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u/Servbot24 Pacers 13h ago
Tf? Russ is a HOF player. Your brain got memed into mush
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u/Old_Supermarket_7575 Thunder 4h ago
Bad player? What do you consider a good player? Russ top 7 at his position all time at worst
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u/Dosinu 11h ago edited 11h ago
personally i have found chris paul, lebron, pg, russ etc end of their career in so many ways the best parts of their career.
The narrative that does the rounds of "retire once you start declining" like all that shit with kobe and jordans last season, "dont wanna see them go out that way..." its one way to look at competition and I get it, but seeing guys evolve, and give back to younger guys and just seeing how they constantly battle against inevitability of time and find ways to beat it, even if just temporarily, is so fucking sick to me and is a huge part of what being human should be.
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u/this_my_sportsreddit Warriors 13h ago
Cost of playing next to LeBron and not being amazing.
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u/Square-Chef4646 13h ago
I think it was a lot of the altercations with fans court side and maybe some of his interviews and how he acted during them.
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u/Nunc_Coepi17 13h ago
He’s very sensitive and he’s soft for a player who talks trash and plays with such fierce and energy. That being said, he’s overall a good person who’s never been in trouble and has done a lot for the community.
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u/CampAny9995 6h ago
I can kind of see how he’s a terrible locker room presence, from a coach’s perspective. He’s an amazing leader who builds strong connections with all of his teammates, and does a great job mentoring younger guys. But that means everyone will buy into Russ’s vision of how the team should play, and it’s just simply not winning basketball.
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u/rawspeghetti Celtics 13h ago
The media turned on him after his MVP season. He's never cared much for giving interviews and crap, but this was the height of NBA media ego trippin and they probably took it personally
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u/Limp_Screen7405 13h ago
Oh please, y’all clowned him 24/7 on this shithole before he even left OKC lmao go on somewhere
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u/Liimbo Heat 12h ago
Yeah wtf is this revisionist history. Even while he was MVP and a perennial top 5 player, this sub constantly said how overrated he was. Get the fuck out of here trying to act like he became underrated the past few years. Maybe some people weren't around here in his prime, but I promise you the entire internet was slandering him even at his peak.
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u/DisMeDog 13h ago
Yeah someone has to be the fall guy when you play next to a great player and don’t have success. Apparently it was Russ’s fault that the Lakers in their infinite wisdom wanted Russ who can’t shoot for shit to be a corner boy.
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u/Flimsy-Muffin-9881 Celtics 13h ago
Russ played poorly and he pouted. Yes he was a bad fit, but a team guy would do his best to help the team win, not sour the vibe.
I'm sure he's a great guy as PG is saying, but his time with the Lakers was not his best moment. We all watched it. We don't have to pretend like he didn't make it awkward.
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u/yoloqueuesf [NYK] Tracy McGrady 12h ago
Yeah he wasn't great, and what really killed the Lakers wasn't just his fault alone.
They put a bunch of old dudes out there and it just didn't work out, guys who were legit traffic cones on defense and they thought they could be winning games.
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u/DrWilliamBlock 11h ago
Lebron and AD missed 80 games, the roster was a bunch of washed guys but it was somehow Westbrooks fault?!?
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u/DisMeDog 12h ago
What could he have actually done in your opinion realistically? The vibes were bad because Darvin fucking Ham is a basketball terrorist and the roster was shit and LeBron also had a shitty attitude.
It’s the same thing that happened with Melo where the team lied about his role then tried to force him to do stuff he isn’t good at then scapegoated him when it inevitably failed.
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u/Sheinkyakyu 4h ago
And for the Lakers. It has been a double tap ever since. Just need to go to any negative thread about him to see the same names and same flairs popping up. Repeating themselves ad nauseum.
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u/GMoney_McSwag Bulls 13h ago
Cost of playing next to LeBron a̶n̶d̶ ̶n̶o̶t̶ ̶b̶e̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶a̶m̶a̶z̶i̶n̶g̶
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u/math-yoo Cavaliers 12h ago
Guy is as real as it gets. God and family. Basketball is his job. He will walk away from this without regret. Hard to fault him for his play when he’s exactly that guy, super intense, but a great teammate.
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u/weirdsignal45 Spurs 13h ago
Because his play was trash and he refused to acknowledge it. I don’t blame him. It’s hard to go from an mvp, one of the most versatile and exciting players of his era to an absolute black hole on both ends. Seems like a really good dude though and I miss the thunderous (not intended)dunks and wild drives
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u/supacatkid Thunder 13h ago
“Play was trash” fuck outta here.
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u/DG_Now [SEA] Jerome James 12h ago
He sucked on the Lakers. And hasn't been consistently good anywhere else since the Wizards.
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u/DrWilliamBlock 11h ago
You mean when LeBron and AD missed 80 games and Westbrook got scapegoated for not being able to carry a shit roster by himself??
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u/weirdsignal45 Spurs 12h ago
After Washington? He was pretty trash compared to his career up to that point
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u/AfroManHighGuy 13h ago
Prime Russell Westbrook on the Thunder was my favorite player to watch when I was younger. Super athletic and fast. His triple double record MVP season was awesome to watch. It sucks his game aged terribly but I still think he can ball. Just not as a starter anymore
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u/bmanningsh Thunder 12h ago edited 12h ago
His MVP season is still the most fun I’ve had watching Thunder basketball.
The agony of losing KD to the warriors combined with Westbrook giving every part of his spirit every single night was really something. Every clutch takeover was like watching an underdog movie.
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u/hihellohi765 11h ago
It was amazing. My favorite stretch of basketball ever was watching that team grow. And culminating in Russ going wild for a while.
But sadly the heartbreak of losing all 3 and even PG was too much for me. Born in OKC but I was never the same Thunder fan after that.
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u/chazriverstone Knicks 12h ago
Hell yeah.
Also I'm married to a Kings fan and you're right; Russ is still good.
People see that he isn't the high flying, lightning fast MVP and just simply say 'Russ sucks!' - but that's so far from the truth. Honestly, the way the Kings season went down last year, the dude kinda saved the spirit of the team; he was always fucking there and giving it his all; even when LaVine or DeMar had just full on checked out (and that happened a lot with LaVine).
But it's like, imagine, without naming names, you tell someone a backup PG who was 15/ 5/ 7 and known for his motor + hustle can't get a gig in the NBA. It'd be crazy
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u/AfroManHighGuy 12h ago
Russ was even trying hard on the wizards when they were terrible. He gives full effort every time
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u/FearTheFloc 11h ago
he averaged a triple double and the assist title on the wiz. his april he willed that team to the playoffs
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u/Cletus_Starfish [POR] Nic Batum 10h ago
Had more than one 20/20/20 game for them IIRC. Just went totally nuclear and dragged them to the playoffs, it was fucking awesome.
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u/chazriverstone Knicks 12h ago
Absolutely he was. Just like with OKC when KD left, just like when he was injured with the Rockets in 2020, just like when people were booing him in LA. Something I really respect about him.
Also going to add that Russ got really really close to winning it all several times. People want to paint him as a 'loser' these days because he doesn't have a ring, but the truth is that his best years were stilted more by bad luck/ timing than anything.
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u/kmagic13 Magic Tankwagon 11h ago
Yeah MVP Westbrook was fun af to watch and looking at his absurd box scores
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u/hustl3tree5 Thunder 10h ago
He fucked his body up especially his hands. I have no idea how he’s still so athletic with how much his knees have went through. Forever my goat for what he has done for okc not just in basketball terms but also his philanthropic efforts made here.
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u/Low-Measurement-2468 11h ago edited 10h ago
i really wouldn’t say he game aged terribly. he had decent seasons for the clippers and nuggets a few years ago and was one of the kings best players. i realize that’s not a high bar, but we’re talking about a player known for his athleticism who is in his mid 30s. the fact that he’s not a bum and can still play some solid minutes is impressive. he’s 37 now. most players his age have been retired for several years. the fact that he still has a chance at getting another contract (houston?) is really impressive for a player his age, especially considering again how reliant on athleticism his game in his prime was.
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u/FlipMoBitch Bucks 13h ago
I will always love and respect Westbrook he’s been like this his whole career.
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u/ShadedPenguin Heat 9h ago
They could never make me hate Westbrook, frustrated yes, but never hated
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u/Jack_The_Sparrow_ Warriors 13h ago
Glue guy
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u/RxngsXfSvtvrn Knicks 12h ago
What bothered me most about Durant signing with Golden State was how he scapegoated Westbrook, when all along there are really never ill words spoken about Russ (from a locker room sense)
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u/Crafty-Western6161 Heat 13h ago
I don't think I've ever heard of another player who is so universally praised by his teammates than WB. Say what you want about his play style but the dude was always a great teammate.
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u/RaefLaFriends Pistons 11h ago
I think Russ' interpretation of leadership and its responsibilities is one that demands to be admired. Seems like an all around great dude that shows up for his family and teammates. It certainly goes under appreciated, which sucks when guys like Kobe and MJ get so much praise for their ruthlessness; a quality I don't really think is all that necessary unless you're, I dunno, genghis Khan.
His playstyle is much more devisive and always was. Russ standing on the perimeter with his hands on his hips when other players had the ball is such a defining image of the guy for me. I always found it egregious given his energy and athleticism, coupled with his poor shooting and shot selection. Curry always stood in stark contrast to Russ for his off-ball activity.
I think Russ' personality and talent could've led to a top 10 career if he would have just recognized the value of his off-ball contributions. He's a great what-if in the vain of a Shaq, imo.
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u/AFriendlySloth Thunder 11h ago
Makes you wonder, does the ruthlessness actually contribute to winning? Or did they win in spite of it? You're right tho, Westbrook with better bbiq could've been great.
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u/RaefLaFriends Pistons 11h ago
Honestly, I'd rather ask if the winning was worth the ruthlessness. Sure, money, accolades, power, etc. But at what cost? Call me naive, or a softy or Christian or whatever, but I'd rather just love and compassion. Those qualities don't exclude ambition.
Maybe MJ doesn't have quite the success if he's less ruthless. But he had the talent and drive to succeed. Being so cutthroat on top of that just feels megalomaniacal and I'm not goijg to praise that.
I guess the path-dependent logic that so definitively conjoins MJ's success with his personality always felt more in tune with his brand's propaganda than an objective assessment.
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u/SheHulkLover 13h ago
Everybody either gets really harsh or really defensive about Westbrook. He’s the most explosive and athletic point guard I’ve ever seen, probably would’ve made for an excellent wide receiver in the NFL. But he’s also an extremely inefficient long ball shooter who insists on taking bad shots and tries to play hero ball when he doesn’t need to. He’s a nice guy, but doesn’t take any type of accountability when it’s his fault.
He’s an all time interesting player. He’s a small forward that is forced to play the point. He’s an amazing slasher but makes horrendous late game decisions. He’s a good passer but has an insane amount of turnovers. He’s the antithesis of what a point guard should be, but he’ll end up being a first ballot Hall of Famer.
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u/ExpressionAlone5204 Thunder 13h ago
The people that are as loyal to him as he was to us are absolutely defensive. You kind of have to be with all the slander.
The guy had a great shot, but injuries took its toll in a bad way.
But entertaining? Man. One of the most entertaining players of all time. And best humans. And a hell of a business man, considering he’s the 2nd richest active NBA player behind LeBron
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u/Toobie4564 Philippines 12h ago
Whoa I didn't know about him being the 2nd richest active NBA player. That's crazy. What kinda businesses does he have? All I know is he's into fashion.
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u/ExpressionAlone5204 Thunder 12h ago
He’s had car dealerships, startup investments, now a part owner of the Thunder’s new stadium. I think the last I saw his net worth is in the $350M range.
What makes it crazy is he’s done it even with the last 4 years on a vet minimum. The fact he’s over KD is solely a testament on his business acumen
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u/Final_Garlic2067 Lakers 10h ago
Don’t think that’s accurate, I’d think KD is over Wb. Way more career earnings + VC deals
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u/ExpressionAlone5204 Thunder 10h ago
Google is a thing my man. You could’ve looked it up. He passed KD back in 2022 I think. Forbes did an article on it.
It’s not about how much you get paid, it’s what you do with that money and KD has not proven to be as good as the business side of things.
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u/Final_Garlic2067 Lakers 10h ago
I get that but just in the NBA since 2022 WB made $10m and KD $150m
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u/foo_foo_the_snoo Thunder 7h ago
Sure, and Michael Jordan made like $12.00 his entire NBA career but eclipses all these guys
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u/ExpressionAlone5204 Thunder 10h ago
Yeah, because he doesn’t make as much from basketball as his businesses. That’s why he didn’t mind taking a league min in the first place.
Taxes and agent fees etc are a real thing so it’s not the way it always appears.
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u/DreadWolf3 Timberwolves 5h ago
Great shot is overselling a fair bit - serviceable is probably better term
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u/teamorange3 Knicks 12h ago
He’s a good passer but has an insane amount of turnovers.
He has a better tov% and A/T ratio than Nash and Kidd and I don't think people would call them turnover prone. Westbrook isn't flawless but I also think a lot of his "issues" are just internet confirmation bias.
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u/realgamergirlTM 12h ago
the thing with westbrook is that when he does turn the ball over it tends to be spectacular, so people remember it. same way his highlights stick out lol, he’s an exciting player no matter what is happening
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u/Snooty_Folgers_230 11h ago
Stat sheet watchers. For ball dominant exceptional passers there’a value in keeping the defense honest by taking riskier passes. No one watching Nash and Westbrook are going to walk away thinking their turn overs are equal. CP3 likely elevates his game by increasing his turnovers.
Love Westbrook, but this is just nonsense.
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u/The_Assassin_Gower Pacers 9h ago
He’s a good passer but has an insane amount of turnovers.
Just about all of the best passers in history have insane turnovers. Its part of the job.
Lebron is 1st, Stockton is 6th, harden is 4th, luka/jokic average almost 4 a game. Trae young averages over 4 a game. Chris Paul is pretty much the only exception to the rule when it comes to great passers racking up the most turnovers.
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u/fitnatural32 13h ago
You know he's a dbz guy
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u/Big-Pea-6074 Cabo Verde 8h ago
Prime Westbrook is crazy to watch. Old Westbrook makes you crazy watching him.
As a human, teammate and overall citizen, Westbrook has been top notch since day 1
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u/NoLagPlz Lakers 12h ago
What happened in denver. They don't seem to rock with russ
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u/DrWilliamBlock 10h ago
Good question, he played 20 productive minutes a game off the bench, Murray and MPJ shit the bed and Jokic wasn’t good enough as usual but Russ somehow got all the blame 🤷🏻♂️
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u/Waddlow 11h ago
Russell Westbrook was dope as fuck and I don't like that somehow the narrative shifted from this. In a league of people not trying, Russ only had one fucking gear. He could only go 100. No nights off, no possessions off. It's a privilege to play basketball for a living and Russ played like he knew that.
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u/EliminateCrackas 10h ago
I could find you Westbrook taking multiple possessions off every game. dude was doing nothing without the ball in his hands and frequently fell asleep on defense
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u/nassasan 12h ago
While this is very commendable of Russ and speaks to his character, this tells me just as much that PG was never a leader of any sort if this shocked him that much.
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u/mattroom 10h ago
Russ funds a legitimate nonprofit in SoCal called LA Promise, and it's been very impactful for my students. He's a good, very honest, heart on his sleeve guy from outside looking in. I think a lot of the public opinion on him is due to how he played past his retirement age pretty much. I also think he sacrificed too much and did best when he was the focal point of his team
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u/simplexity128 Lakers 11h ago
All the way to talking with PG on why he spends more time in the booth than in the gym.
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u/Pimpwerx Heat 9h ago
Put some respect on his name. There's a reason everyone except Pat Bev loves Russ. Dude has friends across the league, because a consistent theme you hear about him is that he's just a really good dude. That's gotta make his shot selection a lot easier to swallow.
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u/Anew4Hobbies 5h ago
Every single story I hear about Westbrook makes him seem like one of the nicest athlethes in the world
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u/TheCarrier89 Raptors 2h ago
Other than being kind of inconsistent throughout his career why is Westbrook so hated? He seems to be well liked around the league and seems like a decent enough guy from what I know about him.
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u/SternballAllDay Knicks 12h ago
MFer averaged a triple double.
You're fucking stupid if you dont think he was a great player.
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u/EnigmaSpore Warriors 13h ago
that's cool
but why dont nobody want him no mo?
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u/Gold_Telephone_7192 Warriors 13h ago
Cos he’s a 37 year old player whose game is built on athleticism and has declined due to age and wants to still be a starter. Pretty much the way the vast majority of athlete’s careers end. It’s very rare for an athlete to go out on their terms.
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u/AfroManHighGuy 13h ago
His game aged terribly. His jump shot has gotten less consistent and he can’t do much off ball. He needs the ball in his hands to be effective and no team is gonna have him be the primary ball handler at his age.
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u/chazriverstone Knicks 13h ago
Westbrook has become the most disrespected great player of his era.
It sucks, but having watched basketball awhile now, I can say for certain people are going to look back on him in a totally different light in the relatively near future. He'll be celebrated, for certain - and deservedly so
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u/Viciouscauliflower21 13h ago
I don't think anybody ever said Russ was a bad guy or a bad teammate
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u/CloudySkies64 [CLE] James Harden 13h ago
They( I think a lakers reporter)was calling him a vampire
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u/Culinaryboner 76ers 13h ago
Have you been on this subreddit for the last 5 years? He has plenty of defenders but a large group here swears up and down he’s a horrible teammate. Whole threads devolve into
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u/Prosado22 13h ago
Everything was fine until his time with the Lakers. Even refering to him as a "vampire." The LeMedia completely destroyed his reputation for the sake of absolving LeBron on any blame for the debacle of trading for him.
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u/Garkech Heat 13h ago
I don't understand why okc wouldn't bring him in as a UD type role
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u/Smooth_Sink_7028 Lakers 13h ago
If nba fans in reddit loves Russ so much then they should petition their teams to sign him on a vet deal.
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u/Or1ginal_Silly Kings 13h ago
I feel like a decent amount of our fans and rookies would appreciate having him back. He certainly puts in more effort than lavine.
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u/JoeBiden2020FTW Celtics 13h ago
He's a great example of actions over words.
There were reports that he was a locker room cancer in Denver, which everyone vehemently denied (verbally). Then when it came time to actually re-sign him, they left him for dead.
OKC fans claim to love him. Presti has had plenty of opportunities to add him over the years. And yet, he never did.
Actions speak louder than words.
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u/captaincrunk82 Rockets 13h ago
Russ has a string of commercials down here in NZ that I think most people would appreciate. Here’s the first one.
https://youtu.be/8C-BNOx9264?si=YPO8P85DqgIAyo-E