The misconception of Russell Westbrook

Taking a closer look at the player and person that Russell Westbrook is, and the misconception that comes with him around the NBA.

Since Russell Westbrook has entered the NBA, he has been labeled as an “angry” or a “mean” guy. Most of that is based on his intense style of play and some of that comes from his attitude during press conferences and interviews.

But is that really who he is?

After Kevin Durant left the Oklahoma City Thunder in July of 2016, all that was heard was that it was Russell’s fault. That Durant didn’t want to play with him anymore and that they never were really true friends. All throughout this past season, reports have been coming out about why Durant really left.

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Some were saying that it was because of frustrations Durant had with the front office about not getting the right tools around him to win a championship. Others were saying that he left because he didn’t want to play with Westbrook anymore. While there is a possibility that both of those reports are true, I only believe one of them.

During Durant’s time in OKC, the talk was that he and Westbrook were best of friends and spent a lot of time together and even called each other brothers. Then, all of a sudden, when Durant left it was reported that they were never friends and never spent time with each other. In Durant’s MVP speech, he called Westbrook his “brother” and said that he was always first to defend him.

Durant left OKC because he wanted to win a title and didn’t believe that OKC was the right team to do that. He knew that Golden State was the best option for him to win a championship. It wasn’t because of Westbrook.

After Durant left, OKC signed Westbrook to an extension. During the press conference announcing his extension, Westbrook talked about being loyal to the fans in Oklahoma City and that he appreciated all the support he had gotten from the fans in Oklahoma.

The way people view Westbrook is the result of the national media. Everybody always hears about his interviews and press conferences and how “disrespectful” he can be to reporters and how “mean” he can be. But if you look around the league and in other sports, it’s not just him. Believe it or not, a lot of people don’t like being questioned about everything they do on and off the court so maybe sometimes athletes get a little frustrated and express their feelings about it. It’s not a bad thing.

That kind of stuff has led to this reputation that Westbrook has and has led to everyone to believe that nobody likes him and doesn’t want to play with him because he is always angry. I believe that during this past season, we got a good understanding of what people really think of him.

Taj Gibson said in his exit interview with the media:

"“Russ is a great guy. You want to play with a guy like him. He’s a team first guy. Guys should want to come and play with a guy like Russ.”"

He also talked about when he first met Westbrook when he got to OKC via trade and said that “he’s a funny guy.” That’s coming from somebody who never played with him and never really knew him until they became teammates.

Early in the season, Victor Oladipo talked about being teammates with Russell:

"“Not being here, you hear a lot about him. You hear a lot of rumors. The misconception of what he used to be or what he is, is false. He wants to win more than anyone in the world.”"

People in Oklahoma City love Westbrook because they see everything he does and see what he is about. He represents Oklahoma and the fans love him. But the rest of the nation only sees the side of Russell that looks angry on the court and his comments to the media.

You can drive around Oklahoma City and you will see banners, signs, billboards, and anything else you can think of showing their love towards him. After Durant left, everyone really embraced Westbrook and appreciated everything he has done for the city and continues to do.

However, everyone got a glimpse of the kind of person he is during his MVP speech:

That’s the way everyone views him in Oklahoma City and maybe how some people view him now. Russell is loved by his teammates. You can see it with their interactions with each other. Russell is always first to have his teammate’s back when something happens to them, and they always have his back. That’s the way he is with his teammates.

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If you look at how he is off the court, then you will see the real Russell Westbrook. He’s a fun loving guy. He cares about the people most close to him. Russell Westbrook is just like everyone else. He’s a man that loves to spend time with his friends and family and goes to work everyday to support them just like you and me.