During his appearance on “The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon,” Houston Rockets superstar point guard Russell Westbrook told an awesome and funny Michael Jordan story.
Westbrook spoke about the time he was around 10 or 11 and went to a Jordan camp in California. At the end of the camp, all the kids were lining up to meet Jordan and get his autograph.
When it was Westbrook's turn to meet Jordan, the Rockets guard actually passed because he was in the middle of playing a pickup game:
“My coach was like, ‘Come on, come on, come on. You're gonna miss the opportunity to get a picture with Michael Jordan and an autograph with Michael Jordan,” the Rockets star said. “Myself said, ‘Ahh, don't worry, I'm okay, I don't need it right now.'
“So I didn't get a picture with Michael Jordan, I didn't get an autograph with Michael Jordan. I literally didn't get in line. I kept playing basketball, just kept hooping, just kept hooping. Then when camp was over, when I got home, my mom and dad was like, ‘Did you get the ball signed?' And I literally was just like, ‘No, I didn't. I was playing a pickup game.' “
Just another example of how competitive Westbrook is. The Rockets star literally blew off a chance to meet Jordan because he didn't want to stop playing a game, and this was when he was just a kid.
This is exactly why Oklahoma City Thunder fans loved Westbrook. Rockets fans like him now, too, since he's on their side and not torturing them anymore.
Before the 2019-20 season was suspended due to COVID-19, Westbrook was averaging 27.5 points, 8.0 rebounds and 7.0 assists for the Rockets. The former MVP was also shooting 47.4 percent from the field, 25.4 percent from beyond the arc and 77.7 percent from the free-throw line.
The Rockets were in sixth place in the Western Conference standings with a record of 40-24.