It's not often when a home team's fans give a standing ovation to a player on the opposing team, especially during the NBA playoffs. But, when that home team is the Oklahoma City Thunder and that player is Russell Westbrook, there's an exception.
Westbrook spent the first 11 years of his NBA career with the Thunder after being selected fourth overall by them in the 2008 draft. While he wasn't able to bring a NBA title to Oklahoma City, Thunder fans are forever indebted to Westbrook for making the team fun and exciting to watch.
So, when Westbrook checked into Monday night's Game 1 in the conference semifinals series between the Thunder and his Denver Nuggets, Paycom Center gave their former player a loud standing ovation. It was definitely a rare sight in the NBA.
Russell Westbrook receives a standing ovation in OKC 🔥
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) May 6, 2025
(🎥 @RyanGreeneDNVR )
pic.twitter.com/AK4CKQnUrr
When asked about how loud the Paycom Center was on Monday night, Westbrook responded with some subtle shade about his former fanbase.
"It was loud tonight but it was louder when we was here," Westbrook said while winking.
“It was loud tonight but it was louder when we were here 😉”
— The Daniel Bell© (@BasketballGuruD) May 6, 2025
- Russell Westbrook on the Thunder crowd tonight and how it compares to when he was in OKC pic.twitter.com/1fyivTyZvO
Westbrook was very appreciate of the Thunder fans after the game, though.
"Like I've always said, I'm truly grateful and indebted to the fans here. They gave me a chance. They believed in me when I was a little, young teenager," Westbrook said in his post-game press conference. "But the reason why they love me is my competitive nature, competitive spirit. I'm gonna do that for my team. Love is always there."
The Thunder fans probably felt conflicted about Westbrook and the Nuggets by the end of the game as Denver came back and won 121-119 thanks to a last second three-pointer made by Aaron Gordon. It was shocking, and left Thunder fans speechless.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Thunder Fans Gave Russell Westbrook a Loud Standing Ovation During Game 1.
