“I Loved Russ as a Brother”: Paul George Talks About His Relationship With Russell Westbrook

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George spoke about his good relationship with his former teammate Russell Westbrook.

Westbrook and George played together for two years between 2017 and 2019. While Westbrook was already a fan favorite in Oklahoma, having just won an MVP award, George moved to the team in 2017. He had played seven years for Indiana Pacers by then, and was also an established player in the league.

During an appearance on Kevin Hart’s ‘Cold as Balls’ program, George said Westbrook was like a brother to him. He went on to say that it was after consulting with each other that the two decided to move away from Oklahoma last year.

“I was only (in OKC) two years. But you know, during those two years I loved Russ as a brother,” George said. “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 percent. We talked it out, and we made the moves necessary to go elsewhere.”

During their two years together, Westbrook was the league’s leader in assists. George was the NBA steals leader in 2019. However, they could not steer their team past the first round of playoffs in both the seasons.

Paul George and Russell Westbrook moved away from Oklahoma City Thunder last summer

Last summer, both George and Westbrook made their moves. The Thunder traded George to Los Angeles Clippers in exchange for Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, and a few draft assets. He teamed up with Kawhi Leonard at the Clippers to form a strong team. Prior to the league’s suspension, they were second in the Western Conference behind local rivals Los Angeles Lakers.

Westbrook, meanwhile, reunited with James Harden at Houston Rockets. In spite of star men leaving Oklahoma City Thunder, they remained competitive with the likes of Chris Paul coming good. Both Rockets and Thunder were equally matched when the NBA suspended its league.