After 11 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook closed the door on that chapter of his life. In a blockbuster, summer-time deal, Russ was moved to Houston, where he and James Harden have since made new memories.
But to some, Russ will always be a Thunder. To his former teammate Kendrick Perkins, and many who share the same opinion, he is Mr. Thunder.
After 11 seasons with the franchise, Westbrook certainly has a case. In his time with the team, he made 8 All-Star teams, 8 All-NBA teams, won two scoring titles, two All-Star hame MVPs, and a regular-season MVP in 2017-18.
He is also the franchise leader in points, free throws, assist percentage and usage percentage.
Still, is he really the best player to put on a Thunder jersey? Most would argue that being the All-Time face of a franchise and being the best player to ever play for a franchise are two distinctly different things. While Russ had a longer tenure and made a bigger overall impact on the team, Kevin Durant is widely recognized as the better player.
As a near 7-foot scoring machine, his scoring capabilities far out-weigh that of Westbrook’s.
In the video, Perk draws on this same distinction. After issuing an apology to Westbrook for overshadowing his night, he admits that while Russ is the franchise’s “King,” Durant is the better all-around player. No matter your opinions on Russ, the Thunder, or Durant, it’s hard to argue with that logic.
