Russell Westbrook was already seen as a hero by many of the young Nuggets players well before he joined the team in free agency this summer, writes Bennett Durando of The Denver Post.
During their formative years, as they were learning the game and developing their skills, Westbrook was a star in Oklahoma City, showcasing a fierce intensity and relentless competitiveness that was hard not to admire.
His all-out effort, leadership on the court, and explosive playing style made him a role model for the next generation, many of whom now have the opportunity to share the court with one of their early basketball idols.
“He was just a huge inspiration for me from the passion he plays with,” Peyton Watson said, “being himself unapologetically, and just being somebody who I feel like always leaves it out there on the floor.
“… As far back as I can remember watching basketball, really, I’ve been watching the energy and the passion that he played with, knowing that he came from damn near down the street from where I’m from (in Long Beach, California).”
Nuggets Notes: Westbrook, Watson, Braun, Murray, Gordon https://t.co/RGoKjcy4hs pic.twitter.com/5kFZJb6jfk
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