The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the biggest ironies in basketball, one that primarily concerns reigning league MVP Russell Westbrook. Although Westbrook leads the NBA in assists per game, he is still being constantly labeled as a selfish player. Thunder forward Carmelo Anthony knows what it’s like to be called a player who only thinks of himself, as he has endured that kind of criticism for the most part of his career, and now, he is coming to the defense of his All-Star running mate, per Ketan Parekh.

Carmelo Anthony: “If you are calling Russ selfish, then you don't really understand his game or his mindset. All he cares about is doing whatever it takes to win. It's hard to call someone who is averaging a triple double and leading the league in assists a selfish player”

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The numbers say that Russell Westbrook is not a selfish player. He is averaging a league-best 10.2 assists per game to go with 25.6 points and 9.9 rebounds. In addition to those numbers, Westbrook is also among the top 10 in the league in passes made per game with 62.0. But it’s also probably Westbrook’s perceived personal mission to get a triple-double for the second season in a row that is causing some people to think that he is just another selfish NBA player.

Westbrook plays 100 miles per game, a relentless style that barely anyone in the league could keep up with. Westbrook is perhaps also the last person to mind what people are saying about him so long as he does his job on the court which is to score, rebound, make plays for his teammates, and be a leader.