On Monday night the NBA aired the first ever televised NBA Awards show. Running over two hours, it was largely unnecessary. Why not just stick to the normal routine of handing out the regular season awards during the playoffs? Oh, right. There are advertising dollars to be made. Of course.
The night concluded with the much anticipated revealing of last season’s MVP winner. Oklahoma City’s Russell Westbrook beat other finalists James Harden of Houston and Kawhi Leonard of San Antonio in one of the more entertaining MVP races in recent history. It was the first MVP of Westbrook’s superstar career.
Westbrook had an historic year, becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 to average a triple double for a full season. He played in all but one of the Thunder’s 82 regular season games while averaging 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists. His 31.6 points per game led the league, giving Russell his second scoring title in addition to his first MVP. Kevin Durant’s shocking departure from Oklahoma City last summer opened the door for Westbrook to make the leap from second fiddle to main man. His 41.7 usage percentage led the league by a wide margin; DeMarcus Cousins came in second with 36.5.
After Westbrook’s MVP coronation, a former five-time MVP offered his congratulations. In a tweet released by Foot Locker, Bulls legend Michael Jordan had a short and sweet note for Russell.
A special message from the 🐐 to the new MVP. 💯 pic.twitter.com/LfpSl7Fo3s
— Foot Locker (@footlocker) June 27, 2017
Nice words of encouragement from the GOAT. It seems as thought Michael has taken a special interest in watching Russell’s career. Forget all the comparisons to LeBron James and Kobe Bryant. Michael sees a lot of himself in Westbrook.
“When I watch [Russell] play, I see a lot of resemblance of his passion for the game of basketball [to] the way I played the game of basketball … Every time I played the game of basketball, when I stepped onto that floor, I always felt like there was someone there that never saw me play the game of basketball, and that motivated me every single night. This kid has the same passion, and you can’t get that.” – Michael Jordan
Jordan won his first regular season MVP award in the 1987-88 season, three seasons before the Bulls finally won their first title in 1991. Westbrook will very likely be in the MVP conversation again next season, assuming he stays healthy. But unless the Thunder somehow land another star to play alongside Russell this summer, they won’t be anywhere close to competing with the best teams in the Western Conference. Oklahoma City – despite Westbrook’s greatness – were bounced in the first round of the playoffs, losing to Harden’s Rockets in five games.
That surely won’t stop Westbrook. Knowing Russ, he’ll take MJ’s advice and run with it. He’ll keep going, and it will be a great gift for all NBA fans. Just like Jordan’s MVP years.
