Russell Westbrook told us he loved Oklahoma City. Of course he re-signed.

Russell Westbrook signed a five-year, $205 million supermax extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday, and if you’re surprised, you shouldn’t be. This is what Westbrook said he wanted to do, over and over again.

Like on media day:

Man it’s been a long, long summer. Had a baby. So, been working on a little fatherhood. But like I said, this is a place I want to be. I love being here, I’m excited about the season, obviously with a lot of new changes. And, I’m excited – from that I”m going to leave it there.

And last season’s exit interviews:

“Obviously everybody knows that I like Oklahoma City and I love being here. I love everybody here, but I haven’t even thought about that. I’m worried about making sure my wife is all right ... everything else really doesn’t matter at this point.”

“Obviously Oklahoma City is a place that I want to be.”

And last summer:

“I like my team,” Westbrook told him. “I still really like my team.”

And when he signed an extension after Kevin Durant left and tweeted this:

Or even from the work his foundation does there:

Westbrook’s Why Not? Foundation has created reading rooms at three Oklahoma City elementary schools this season and launched a reading challenge in which students from 78 local schools compete to read for the most minutes.

Even despite the city’s biggest flaw, its weather!

“It’s a great place to be, man. The people are so nice to me and my family. I love being there. The weather changes, but I love it. It’s great.”

And especially here:

It’s home.

Westbrook told you exactly how he felt about Oklahoma City, and for someone who wears his emotions so blatantly on his sleeve, there was never any reason to doubt him.

Of course he’s back.

Westbrook has committed to the Thunder for the prime of his career. He’s fresh off an MVP trophy and the new leader of a superteam, one featuring Paul George and recently acquired Carmelo Anthony in place of nonessential bench players from last season. (Thunder general manager Sam Presti had a better summer than you, that’s for sure.) It doesn’t matter that George and Anthony could leave next summer if they wanted, because at least Westbrook isn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

But doubt may have crept into the minds of some. It was impossible to ignore the photoshops of Westbrook in Lakers jerseys over all these years. Everyone knew Westbrook was from Los Angeles, attended UCLA, and loves the fashion scene there. His new teammate George is reportedly dead set on joining the purple-and-gold next year, or at least he was.

If you’re doubting Westbrook and everything he has publicly said about his love for the city, it’s not his fault. Westbrook has always said what he meant. He once told a reporter he wouldn’t answer his question because he just didn’t like him. That doesn’t mean Westbrook will say a lot! His post-game press conferences are an indication of that. But when he does say something, he’s typically not just piling on platitudes for the sake of civility.

There are many NBA players who have said things they don’t mean, or that they came to regret. At the Thunder’s 2016 exit interviews, Kevin Durant said this:

“You’re right, I have. It’s home. That’s how it’s been for eight years. The time has flown by. You don’t really know — the time flies when you’re having fun. That’s what I heard, and I think, as time has gone past so quickly, I’ve learned so much about myself, about being here as a basketball player and as a man. I’ve been through a lot of different experiences just in this city, and it’s something I’m always going to remember.”

That quote could easily slip into those Westbrook quotes we started with and not miss a beat. It’s not quite as strong and it’s not quite as foreshadowing, but it’s an earnest answer. And there’s nothing wrong with this answer, just like there’s nothing wrong with Durant’s ultimate decision to leave. He couldn’t and wouldn’t have said: “Oklahoma City is home, but I’m really thinking about leaving this summer. I’ll let you know if I do.” A small, white lie, or a question that’s answered without saying anything, is sometimes better — and easier — than the truth, at least in that moment.

But Westbrook isn’t Durant, and he isn’t anyone else. He isn’t like most people. He’s Westbrook, he said what he meant, and now he acted on those same words uttered all throughout the way here.

Of course he’s back.