This put a little bit of a lump in my throat. Russell and Kevin are both 1988 birth years just like my son. There is a part of Russell that without a doubt touches my heart from a fan-love standpoint.
Then there is that other part of Russell which made me want to strangle him a couple of times.
But this is going to be the love part shining through because at the end of the day Russell has my admiration for what he did for not only himself and his family, but for what he did for Sam Presti, Clay Bennett, and the state of Oklahoma.
I would expect a retired jersey and ceremony whenever Russell has the time to come back to Okahoma City for what will be a night of adoration from Thunder Nation inside of PayCom Arena or Continental Arena or whatever it’s currently named for this season.
You know when Russell really had me?
When he took it upon himself to be the only athlete, politician, or public celebrity to take on Donald Trump in Oklahoma with his open and honest remarks. Sam Presti and Clay Bennett never had the guts to do that in this reddest of MAGA states. Same with Barry Tramel and Jim Traber or anyone else in Oklahoma who wants to be either re-elected or liked on the internet.
That’s when I fell in love with Russell Westbrook.
So for all you Trump fake Christians in Oklahoma…if you need some courage to ever say the truth and show a sliver of human integrity of any sort–just think of what Russell Westbrook did in Oklahoma City on and off the court.
I’m going to do more on Russell tomorrow simply because he, Shai, and Kevin are why we still have NBA basketball in a college market of which Sam Anderson wrote about in Boomtown.
I’ll be back tomorrow with more of my thoughts on Russell Westbrook’s career not only in Oklahoma, but at UCLA as well.
Love, Mike J