Though superstar floor general Russell Westbrook is now a member of the Washington Wizards - his third team in as many seasons - the 32-year-old former MVP insists he's still going to be the same old Russ.
In a video press conference with his new team on Saturday, Westbrook offered several observations about how others perceive him compared to the person he believes he actually is.
"The way I play the game kind of misconstrues (to) people ... who I am as a person, who I am and what I believe in and what I stand for," Westbrook told reporters. "Obviously, how I play and off the floor are two different people.
"When I am on the floor, I don't have any friends, I am not trying to be friendly, I'm trying to bust somebody's ass. I ain't got time to try to shake hands and do all that. I don't have time for it, and I am never changing that."
That aggressive on-court persona has clearly worked for Westbrook in certain respects. Through 12 seasons, the 6-foot-3 point guard has averaged 23.2 points, 8.3 assists, 7.1 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. He's a nine-time All-Star, two-time scoring champ, two-time assists titleholder, and was voted the top player of the 2016-17 season after averaging a triple-double.
Off the court, Westbrook is going to continue to relish his leadership role, both in the locker room and away from the game of basketball altogether.
"The biggest thing for me is just kind of going and being myself - which is easy because being myself, I can be genuine and loyal and understanding," Westbrook added. "Obviously, I am not the easiest guy to understand.
"But me as a teammate, me as a person, as a father, that's the most important part to me. And I stand strong on that and continue to uplift my teammates, organizations, (and) inspire people around the world. That's kind of all I worry about - impact and inspire."
