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Years After Disregarding Michael Jordan Autograph Chance, Russell Westbrook Got Redemption When MJ Called for His Signature

Published 05/13/2023, 6:59 AM EDT

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Contemporary NBA stars have undoubtedly grown up idolizing Michael Jordan. When it comes to admiring His Airness, numerous NBA stars have shown the same effervescence of a 10-year-old Chicago Bulls fan from the 1990s. NBA fans are well aware of the MJ fanboy moments that stars like LeBron James and Klay Thompson have had. Despite getting so close to having a fanboy moment with the Bulls legend, a young Russell Westbrook, however, had chosen not to.

The Los Angeles Clippers star Russell Westbrook had then chosen a basketball game over the legendary Michael Jordan. However, that does not mean Westbrook has never had a chance to cross paths with His Airness. The 2017 MVP got redemption after a heroic moment with MJ.

Russell Westbrook got redeemed years after missing Michael Jordan autograph

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Long back, when he was 11 or 12 years old, Russell Westbrook was at a Michael Jordan Basketball Camp. A major attraction of the camp was that the kids who had participated would get a signed item at the end of the camp from Jordan himself. Towards the end of the camp, many of Westbrook’s peers lined up to get the 6x-NBA champion’s autograph. Brodie, however, was busy in a pickup game. Despite his coach asking him to hurry up and get MJ’s autograph, Westbrook concentrated on his game and told the coach he wanted to finish the game.

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In his recent appearance on the Jennifer Hudson Show, the 9x-NBA All-Star revealed this bizarre childhood memory. He told the host that he had won the pickup game and missed the MJ-signed item. Nonetheless, Westbrook also revealed that he had a moment of redemption with His Airness. “I was with Nike at first, leader brand, getting call from Michael Jordan um he signed me as an athlete. So it worked out for the better. I’ve been with the brand since and I’m still under the Jordan brand,” Russell Westbrook said, surprising the host and the audience.

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The moments of redemption Russell Westbrook has had from MJ

Apart from his association with Michael Jordan’s legendary brand, Russell Westbrook also shares a warm bond with the Bulls icon. MJ 23 has, on many occasions, lauded the 2017 MVP. During Westbrook’s days with the Oklahoma City Thunder, he got inducted into the Oklahoma City Hall of Fame. It was Jordan who did the honors during the prestigious ceremony. Besides, MJ had also adulated Westbrook for his loyalty.

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Though Westbrook had once disregarded Jordan’s autograph, he did it to remain focused on the game. Perhaps Brodie became what he has become on the back of that dedication to the game. A deal with MJ’s brand and getting inducted by him into the Oklahoma City Hall of Fame are indeed redeeming for a kid who had once missed His Airness’ autograph.

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Written by:

Krishna Prasad M

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Krishna Prasad is an NBA writer at EssentiallySports. He holds professional qualifications in English and Journalism from reputed institutions. As a trained reporter, Krishna's intense passion for sports writing prompted him to become an NBA journalist.
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Edited by:

Pragya Vashisth