Russell Westbrook is obviously one of the NBA’s best players. But even back before he played a single minute in the league, people knew he was going to be special.
Ahead of his matchup with Russ, his former UCLA teammate, Kevin Love, told Mike Deprisco of NBC Sports Washington the moment he knew that Westbrook was destined for greatness.
“We had three courts, 10 on each court, so 30 players. Typically we had a team of five UCLA guys, maybe a mix of us and USC guys,” Love said. “But outside of that, it was all pros, it was all NBA players. There were so many pros that he went against, so many bigs that he challenged at the rim.
I can remember [Westbrook] catching one off the defensive glass, pulling it down, bringing it up the court, surveying what he had and kind of crossing over going to the left, finishing up above the rim and I said, ‘Wow, this guy is gonna be really special.’”
As a Bruin, Russ was truly a different animal. His athleticism was still raw and the world had yet to grow accustomed to his incredible energy.
It’s really no surprise that the guy has grown to become one of basketball’s all-time greatest point guards, and one that is widely appreciated.
