Count Michael Jordan among those who admire Russell Westbrook for his loyalty to the Oklahoma City Thunder after Kevin Durant bolted for Golden State.
Jordan inducted Westbrook into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame Thursday and had plenty of praise for Westbrook while doing so.
The best moment came when Jordan spoke on Westbrook’s loyalty, per ESPN’s Royce Young:
He decided to stay here in Oklahoma. I’m not here to try and bash anybody that’s not here. Everybody has a choice. I’m not saying everybody doesn’t have a choice. But when I saw he chose to stay in Oklahoma I was so proud, and as Clay [Bennett] knows and Russ knows, I texted him to show a sense of respect.
The Thunder captured some of the epic moment:
Behind the scenes with Russ and MJ. #OklahomaHoF pic.twitter.com/AtxxwfFnIh
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 18, 2016
Michael Jordan presenting Russell Westbrook into #OKlahomaHoF. Talked of Russ' "passion" & "loyalty". "You have a very special kid." pic.twitter.com/CIt9a1GzGo
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) November 18, 2016
Even before Jordan’s praise, Westbrook garnered hero status while inking an extension with the Thunder. Durant, though not mentioned by name Thursday, remains the unspoken villain after he joined the Warriors. Jordan’s comments simply further the statuses of both men.
Now alone and leading the Thunder, Westbrook continues to average close to a triple-double while keeping the team relevant in the Western Conference.
No doubt Jordan likes the on-court play, too.
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