Why OKC Thunder fans never lost faith Russell Westbrook would sign extension
NBA fans outside OKC discover Westbrook:
This season something miraculous occurred though. Finally, the NBA fan base began to see who Westbrook was – off the court. Perhaps having a player of Michael Jordan’s ilk publicly declare Westbrook was the player he most related to, did the trick. Or maybe as Westbrook captured the NBA world’s imagination by his refusal to give up against the super teams registered. No doubt, his peers who freely commented on his incredible season made a mark.
The reality was the best kept secret in the NBA was Russell Westbrook. For as much as he is a top talent and the 2017 MVP on the court, off court he is equally incredible. Constantly working to build his charity and philanthropic efforts (usually quietly with no fan fare). To put it in perspective, if Russell Westbrook was the 2016-17 MVP of the NBA, he’s long been deserving of that title within the community.
The MVP off the court:
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My favorite story about Russell Westbrook came courtesy of TV announcer Jeff Van Gundy. Like many he assumed the aggressive, focused almost distant on court persona extended off court. On a flight to cover a game in OKC JVG ended up sitting with someone in the business who lived on the same street as the Westbrook’s. This man relayed how children in the neighborhood come to the house, ring the doorbell and when wife Nina answers, ask “Can Russell come out and play?” Not only does Russell join the children for an impromptu basketball game, he does it regardless of the timing. After practice, game day or even when suffering from minor injuries or being tired – the children never leave the Westbrook’s disappointed.
This story would never have seen the light of day were it not for the lucky accident of the Westbrook neighbor being on that plane, or Jeff having such a public forum to retell the story. But, that’s who Russell Westbrook is. Unlike his contemporaries he does selfless things like this and many other philanthropic actions without any publicity.
Note: For those eager to hear Van Gundy tell the story it originally aired on the Vertical with host Adrian Wojnarowski. The story starts at 22:46 of the audio.