Russell Westbrook (Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports)
Russell Westbrook has officially signed his three-year $85 million contract extension. As a thank you Oklahoma City Mayor Mick Cornett has made August 4 Russell Westbrook Day in Oklahoma City.
Happy Russell Westbrook Day #TheRoarContinues pic.twitter.com/vXWr0LQHug
— Mick Cornett (@MickCornett) August 4, 2016
Westbrook and Oklahoma City have a special bond.
“There’s nowhere else I would rather be than Oklahoma City,” Westbrook said during his contract extension press conference. “You guys have basically raised me. I’ve been here since I was 18, 19 years old. You guys did nothing but great things for me. Through the good and the bad, you guys supported me through it all, and I appreciate it. Definitely when I had the opportunity to be able to be loyal to you guys, that’s the No. 1 option. Loyalty is something that I stand by.”
Westbrook was definitely throwing some shade at Kevin Durant when talking about loyalty. The people of Oklahoma City came out to support Westbrook today as well.
A huge number fans came out to support Russell Westbrook today.#ThunderUp pic.twitter.com/aYAzQjuFQK
— NBA On Def Pen (@NBAOnDefPen) August 4, 2016
The people of Oklahoma City didn’t do themselves any favors reacting the way they did when Kevin Durant left, but this is pretty cool. Not many fan bases would do this for a player signing a contract extension.
