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Paul George reminisced about a tough but necessary phone call he had with Russell Westbrook after learning he could be traded from the Oklahoma City Thunder to the Los Angeles Clippers.
The former Thunder star wing spoke with comedian Kevin Hart of the LOL Network, recalling the experience in a recent of “Cold As Balls” episode:
Article Continues Below“I was only (in OKC) two years. But you know, during those two years I loved Russ as a brother,” said George. “I have so much love for Russ. I mean, I was the first phone call after I had word of what was going on and the possibility of leaving, and I had that call with him. You know, he supported me 100%. We talked it out and we made the moves necessary to go elsewhere.”
While this breakup was a lot more amicable than the one Westbrook had with longtime partner Kevin Durant, it's worth noting Westbrook also felt like his time had run out with the Thunder after tasting defeat in the form of two first-round defeats with George as his sidekick.
Westbrook also fell in the first round in his first year without Durant, making it three straight first-round exits in Oklahoma City.
The writing was on the wall for that Thunder team. George wound up joining Kawhi Leonard in Los Angeles, while Westbrook linked up with former teammate James Harden with the Houston Rockets.
Both players are now playoff-bound once again, hoping this breakup leads to bigger and better things in the postseason. George's Clippers currently have a record of 44-20, the second-best record in the Western Conference behind the Los Angeles Lakers. Westbrook's Rockets are 40-24, which, ironically enough, is identical to the Thunder's current mark. It will be quite the battle among all these teams in the West.
