Russell Westbrook is one of the greatest competitors in the NBA right now. The Houston Rockets point guard has gained more and more recognition around the league thanks to his passion and intensity on the court. Westbrook has earned plenty of good comments about his game and not only from his own fans but for some legends.
In fact, two of the greatest player of all time compared Westbrook to themselves in recent years. Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant had a similar mindset and approach to the game and they saw that same intensity in Westbrook, praising him on several occasions over the past few years.
Back in 2016, Jordan explained that Russ reminded him of himself as a young player with the Chicago Bulls.
“Thirty years ago, that’s me,” Jordan said in an interview for the release of the Jordan XXXI, via Yahoo Sports. “The attitude, trying to prove myself, showing so much passion for the game of basketball. You see it in his play. You can tell he loves the game, he plays with energy and flair.”
If that wasn’t enough, Kobe would say something similar a couple of weeks after Jordan, in the same month of August. For the Black Mamba, the things he saw from Russ, his dedication and his hard work on the court reminded him of himself, too.
“When I turn on the TV and I watch players play, the player that plays with the same kind of emotion and grit and competitive intensity is Russell [Westbrook],” Bryant said of the All-Star guard, via Lakers Nation. “Russell is going hard. Doesn’t matter who he is playing against, doesn’t matter what the odds are, he’s going, that’s a guy, he is going 110 percent every single time.”
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Russ is without any hesitation one of the most talented and explosive players in NBA history. Even though he hasn’t had the same success that MJ and Kobe had, the similarity of his game to the pair of legends is undeniable. Who are we to argue with Kobe Bryant and Michael Jordan?
