Paul George gave the biggest prop to his former teammate Russell Westbrook. The current Los Angeles Lakers star spent the prior two seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where Russ impressed him with his talent and his desire to win at all costs.
They didn’t have success in the playoffs while they were together, but PG-13 knows that Westbrook is all about winning. He compared Brodie to Michael Jordan while stating he wouldn’t have a problem being Jordan’s teammate.
After MJ’s docu-series ‘The Last Dance’ aired, we got to know a different face of Jordan, the one that helped him become a six-time NBA champion. MJ used unique methods to push his teammates, which earned him a lot of criticism.
Talking with Adrian Wojnarowski on ESPN’s #oneteam, George revealed he wouldn’t have a problem handling His Airness.
“You know what, I wouldn’t have had a hard time with that. I grew up watching Kobe, right? I gained an appreciation with his will to win and his fieriness,” George said, via Mike Cruz of ClutchPoints. Me being in Indiana, that’s kind of what I wanted to be. I wanted to be an enforcer to let people know I wanted to win and win at all costs. So I admired watching MJ during his documentary. I would have loved to play with a guy like that.”
Further, he compared MJ to Westbrook, as he sees a lot of Jordan’s things in Russ, especially their competitiveness and fierceness every time they step on the court.
“A lot of tendencies that I see in MJ, I see that same fieriness in a guy that I played with Russ. Russ wants to win at all costs and you love him as a teammate. He’s a guy that every time he touches that floor he wants to win and he’s going to give everything he has. And I admire that.”
It’s not the first time we see people comparing MJ and Russ in that item. Recently, ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith said Russ was the guy that most resembles Jordan after Kobe Bryant retired. Back in the day, MJ himself had said the same about Russ, so this is anything but crazy.
Still, both George and Westbrook haven’t replicated the same success Jordan had and they’re trying to win their first NBA championship this year, although they won’t be playing for the same team.
