Russell Westbrook is one of the most headstrong individuals in NBA history. And whenever he sets his mind to accomplish something, he has proven time and time again that he would stop at nothing to achieve it. His former teammate Victor Oladipo saw this firsthand during his lone season playing with Westbrook on the Oklahoma City Thunder.
A bold promise and a more audacious finish
As the Thunder prepared to host James Harden and the Houston Rockets on November 16, 2016, Dipo and Russ were chilling before the game, sitting on the sidelines, shooting the breeze. However, the Indiana product was startled when Westbrook made an unlikely guarantee.
"All of a sudden, he turns to me and says, 'Hey, I'm going to dunk on somebody left-handed today.' I looked at him and said, 'Bro, you ain't going to do anything, shut up.' He was like, 'All right,'" Victor told Udonis Haslem and Mike Miller on "The OGs" podcast.
As the game commenced and neared its thrilling end, OKC had ball possession and a 103-100 lead with 7.1 seconds left in the game. The Thunder inbounded the ball to Russ, who actually didn't need to do anything but wait to get fouled. However, the explosive guard darted towards the rim where renowned shot-blocker Clint Capela waited for him.
"The very last play of the game, it's an out-of-bounds play for us to go up four or five and win. He runs, cuts, and dunks on Clint Capela left-handed," Oladipo remembered. "I'm thinking he's about to scream, but he looks at me and says, 'I told you, I told you.' I couldn't believe it. He still remembered."
The spectacular dunk capped off Russ' impressive performance that night wherein he tallied 30 points, nine assists, and seven rebounds, as OKC emerged victorious, 105-103.
Related: John Salley talks about the NBA losing physicality because of Jordan: "As MJ came to the league, they decided he was the new Messiah"
Learned a lot from Russ
"Dipo," a two-time All-Star and an All-NBA Team member before injuries derailed his career, said he cherished his time in OKC, where he learned a lot from Westbrook.
"I think OKC was a great blessing. I learned from Russ by sitting next to him. Wisdom is understanding -- not just learning from someone telling you, but also from watching. It's like preaching on a Sunday; you learn from observation too. I got a chance to sit next to him and be in that environment," the guard shared.
Victor took all those teachings from Russ with him to the Indiana Pacers -- the next team he was traded to -- where he became the man during the 2017-2018 season, averaging 23.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 4.3 assists, and a league-leading 2.4 steals per game. He was named the league's Most Improved Player, earned an All-Star Berth and a spot on the All-NBA Third Team, and was in the conversations for the Most Valuable Player and Defensive Player of the Year awards.
Although his career took a downward turn after his injury, there was a point in time when "VO" was a bona fide superstar in the league.
Related: "It insults the game" - Barack Obama goes off on Tyrese Haliburton and his fellow All-Stars for not taking the All-Star Game seriously