With the Wizards, Russell Westbrook will just be himself
But he does have other loyalties. Westbrook, a California native, will remain a Dallas Cowboys fan when it comes to the NFL. It’s hardly a foreign stance in D.C. — or for a Wizards point guard, for that matter.
But the way Westbrook put a little sauce on the proclamation of his fandom — eyebrows raised, face tilted to camera as he said, “I’m definitely going to stay a Cowboys fan, fa’ sho’ ” — was as clear a signal as the clothes he was wearing.
Change his location, change the organization, change his jersey number. Westbrook is still going to be Westbrook.
“I’m genuine. I’m a guy that likes to have fun and also like to give. I like to give back. That’s a big thing for me,” said Westbrook, whose uniform will be No. 4, instead of No. 0, for the first time since high school. “Just because the way I play the game, it kind of misconstrues who I am as a person. … But obviously, how I play and [who I am] off the floor is two different people. When I’m on the floor, I don’t have any friends. I’m not trying to be friendly — I’m trying to bust somebody’s a–. I don’t got time to try and shake hands and do all that. I don’t have time for it, and I’m never changing that.”
Westbrook brought his trademark intensity to his first meeting with Wizards reporters Saturday, the day after he visited Washington’s practice facility for the first time. He was reunited with Coach Scott Brooks, with whom he spent the first seven years of his career in Oklahoma City; assistant coach Robert Pack, who was a coach for the Thunder for three years during Westbrook’s tenure; and a handful of members of the team’s medical staff who have ties to the Thunder.
The point guard did not practice Saturday — the Wizards’ training camp is closed to the media because of coronavirus restrictions — because the paperwork for the trade that sent John Wall to Houston and brought him to Washington had just gone through as practice began. Westbrook didn’t have time for a proper warmup.
He did have time for a lengthy session with reporters in which he addressed, among myriad other topics, misconceptions about who he is as a person and player, how he feels about partnering with Bradley Beal to lead Washington, and his close relationship with Brooks.
One reporter asked how his known penchant for arriving for practices far before they begin might rub off on the team’s young players, calling the habit something Westbrook is famous for.
“Before I answer the question, I’m not famous for it,” Westbrook said pleasantly, without heat. “This is what I do; this is how I do it. It’s not a thing for me. That’s the most important part, and that’s something I want to be clear. . . . But to answer the question . . . man, I just hope it brings — obviously, you want the guys on the team to have something to follow, look up to. Bring some leadership.”
Westbrook gave a 30-minute sampling of some of his most dominant public traits Saturday — he was exacting, self-assured and competitive, at times. He spoke about his near-religious adherence to his routine, the arrive-early, stay-late work ethic Brooks and General Manager Tommy Sheppard praised in a virtual news conference Friday. Westbrook was all of the things the Wizards say they were thrilled to get in a point guard.
His on-court personality, plus the MVP award, the nine all-NBA selections and the playoff experience, are why Brooks called Westbrook’s acquisition a “big moment” for the Wizards.
The 32-year-old averaged 27.2 points, 7.9 rebounds and seven assists last year, the first since the 2015-16 season that he did not average a triple-double. Sheppard, Brooks and Beal said Friday that his arrival speeds the team’s progress up instantly because he will be able to play full speed right away, unlike Wall, who is just dipping a toe back into NBA waters after sitting out for nearly two years with injuries.
Brooks demurred when asked whether Westbrook raises the team’s expectations for the season and said Washington has the talent to make the playoffs, which has been the team’s stated goal for months.
“This guy is one of the top players in the league. There aren’t many players that are all-NBA — those are hard to get. He has nine of them,” Brooks said. “We want to make the playoffs. It’s not going to be easy … but I think we have enough talent to shoot for that, and that’s a realistic goal, and you never know what happens after that.”
As for Westbrook’s expectations, they’re the same as they always are. That hasn’t changed, either.
“Every season I come into, the objective, regardless of what team, what’s on the team, it’s one goal, and that’s to strive to win a championship,” Westbrook said. “If you don’t win, there’s only one champion. All the other teams fail . . . so the mind-set and mentality isn’t remotely different. It stays the same, me personally. And here, my job is to bring the same mentality and find ways to help the program.”
