In his 14 years with the Rockets, veteran Houston GM Daryl Morey says Russell Westbrook and Ron Artest are the NBA two players where the broader perception was most misaligned with reality.
Morey spoke Tuesday with the “Mason & Ireland” show on ESPN Los Angeles. When asked about Westbrook’s demeanor, Morey said:
If you know him, you like him. Russell is on my list, top two players who when they came to the Rockets, people had some negative opinions of that just didn’t line up at all. Russell is such a sweet guy. Ron Artest is the other. You had heard all these things, and he was the sweetest, nicest guy. There’s just some guys in the league where you don’t understand how some people have this negative opinion of them. Russell is just a really nice guy.
Going on LA radio right now with @VeniceMase and @LAIreland . Why? I don't know. Maybe because they were rooting for the @HoustonRockets during game 6 against the @LAClippers in 2016? Mostly though, I don't know. We will likely talk @RGVVipers … https://t.co/co94zjFW75
— Daryl Morey (@dmorey) May 5, 2020
Westbrook was surly with the media at times during his time in Oklahoma City, but that hasn’t been the case in Houston. Both current and former teammates have raved about his qualities in the locker room.
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Recently, during the COVID-19 pandemic, former U.S. Vice President Joe Biden (and the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee in 2020) cited Westbrook as a shining example of American character for his relief efforts in Houston, Los Angeles, and beyond.
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Artest — who later changed his name to Metta World Peace — only played one year in Houston during the 2008-09 season. But he was a key cog for the first Rockets team to win a playoff series in more than a decade.
Artest missed 86 games early in his NBA career due to an altercation in Detroit, which remains the longest suspension for an on-court incident in NBA history. But he was a model citizen in Houston, with Morey and the Rockets raving about his qualities both on and off the court.