Russell Westbrook recently put the finishing touches on one of the most astonishing regular-seasons in NBA history, and prior to Game 1 of the Thunder’s opening-round series against the Houston Rockets, he offered a glimpse into what fuels his ultra-competitive myopia.
When reporters asked about how his friendship with former teammate James Harden might factor into the equation, Westbrook explained that, on the basketball court, his only friend is a guy named Spalding. It made for a delightful quote that nobody took all that seriously, so when he spoke to the media before Game 2, he made sure to clarify exactly what he meant.
Russ on Spalding being his friend: "Y'all didn't understand the importance of what I was saying…Y'all think it's a joke or some shit" pic.twitter.com/kOtwU83nyS
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) April 18, 2017
Westbrook had his best friend, Mr. Spalding, with him as the scrum surrounded him and proceeded to dribble a little bit absently before it got away from him and hit a nearby reporter in the face, knocking his glasses off.
The reporter happened to be Berry Tramel of The Oklahoman, who has something of a history with Westbrook. Russ once famously said during a post-game presser that he simply doesn’t like Tramel, which makes it tempting to read too much into his errant ball-handling being something a little more malicious. Tramel, for his part, however, laughed it off.
Westbrook and his platonic side-kick will try to even the series against the Rockets when Game 2 tips off on Wednesday.
