Russell Westbrook is one of the most disrespected players in the professional sports world. People have tarnished his name, calling him “Westbrick” due to his limited shooting ability. His reputation fell so hard that he can’t even bring his kids to his games because he doesn’t want them to know about all the bad names he gets called. But if we are being honest, he doesn’t deserve this hate at all. And if you look at it, he is a Top 3 point guard all-time and a top 30 player. Let’s take a deep dive into what makes him one of the best players on the court.

HOT TAKE INCOMING

Russell Westbrook deserves his own award dedicated to him. The MVP trophy is called the Michael Jordan Trophy, the DPOY trophy is called the Hakeem Olajuwon Trophy, and the MIP trophy is dedicated to George Mikan. These players influenced the game of basketball with their play styles, and whether you know it or not, Russell Westbrook has done that. Until the buildup to his MVP season, triple-doubles were dominated by one man back in the 1960’s. His name was Oscar Robertson. But let us be completely honest. THAT MAN’S COMPETITIONS WERE LITERAL PLUMBERS AND TRUCK DRIVERS. And when he played in the 70’s, and the competition got better, he sucked. But when Russell Westbrook competes against players who are actually good at the game, he outperforms those all-time greats. Since he has begun breaking records left and right and demolishing the triple-double record, the game has literally been changed. Nowadays, you basically have to be averaging a 30-point triple-double or something close to win the MVP. And we have Russell Westbrook to thank for that. My proposition is that we make a triple-double award. We award players who either average one or consistently perform well with them and put on a fun show. And we name the trophy after Russell Westbrook.

Now for why he is a Top 3 point guard all time…

LOOK AT THIS MAN’S STATISTICS

• He is 14th in points all time, above people like STEPH CURRY and HAKEEM OLAJUWON
• Fifth in assists, above people like MAGIC JOHNSON and STEVE NASH (players literally known for being the greatest at assists)
  He is also in the top 20 in steals all-time.

He has literally beaten Steph Curry in all-time points

But for me, the selling point is this. Magic Johnson is known for the way he changed the game with his passing style at such a big size for a guard. Steph Curry changed the game because his three-point shooting LITERALLY increased the number of three-pointers taken from before he was in the league to now. The year before he was drafted, there was an average of 18 3-pointers attempted per game. This season, the average was 37 3-pointers attempted per game. That’s literally double what it was less than 20 years ago. And in the modern era, where the 3-pointer has been a part of the game for decades, that is very rare.

But Russell impacted the triple-double game. Before him, there was only one person who averaged a triple-double for a whole season. But you know what? RUSSELL WESTBROOK DID IT 4 TIMES. OSCAR ROBERTSON DID IT ONE TIME, RUSSELL DID IT 4 TIMES! And it is obvious that players like Anthony Edwards and Nikola Jokic are inspired by him.

So my final proposal is that the NBA honors him by making a new award (called the triple double) and dedicating the trophy to him, when he retires, the Oklahoma City Thunder retire his jersey, and when he is eligible, he is IMMEDIATELY inducted into the Hall of Fame. Because such greatness as this cannot be forgotten.