Russell Westbrook was selected to LeBron James’s goon squad as part of the draft for the newly reformatted 2018 NBA All-Star Game, and when LeBron posted a picture of his selections on Instagram, one person’s name was at the bottom of the list: Russell Westbrook.
Russell Westbrook hilariously thought he was the last pick in the NBA All-Star draft
Of course Russ was the first pick of the reserves.
It was later revealed that Westbrook thought he was actually the last pick of the All-Star draft — probably because Carmelo Anthony egged him on to believe so:
Thoughts on being picked by LeBron for the All-Star team?
Westbrook: “Oh that’s cool, man. That’s good, man. Finally got the teams figured out.”
Melo interrupts: “Tell ‘em how you really feel. F***.”
Westbrook: “But I see I was the last pick, though, on the list. I’m just trying to figure out how...
Reporters: “Alphabetical order.”
Westbrook to Melo: “See I told you, man! Alphabetical order, man. Of course I was first. Of course, man, what you talking about?”
This is awesome for two reasons
1. It shows the Thunder are growing closer as friends
You can feel the camaraderie in the room between Anthony and Westbrook just from watching that video. The Thunder offense has gone from in shambles to under construction midway through the season, and part of the reason could be these guys are finally getting to know one another on a personal level. Chemistry takes a long time to develop, and players need it both on and off the court. At least from this video, we see Russ and Melo are good friends in the locker room.
2. This new All-Star format is fantastic
No, the All-Star draft wasn’t televised, and yes, it should have been. But we all know Russ was the first pick off the reserve squad. Anyone else would have been blasphemy. The format change has given a new life to All-Star weekend, and you can just see it in Russ’s enthusiasm after personally confirming he was the first reserve off the board. The NBA got it right with drafting the teams. That much is certain.
Westbrook’s name may have been at the bottom of LeBron’s list, but you can all be certain he wasn’t the last pick in the All-Star draft. Just make sure you don’t have Melo whispering all types of unpleasantries in your corner. You never know what you might end up believing.
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