Russell Westbrook earned kudos from Michael Jordan and former Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Kevin Durant after being honored with his first league MVP trophy at the NBA Awards show.
In a letter signed by Jordan and posted in an Instagram story on his Nike brand's account, the Hall of Famer and Charlotte Hornets owner told Westbrook he also won his first MVP award before winning a championship.
Note that Michael Jordan sent Russell Westbrook after winning MVP (via @Jumpman23): pic.twitter.com/3IVektDkwk
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) June 27, 2017
Jordan won the first of his five MVP awards in 1988. He led the Chicago Bulls to six NBA titles, the first coming in 1991.
Durant congratulated Westbrook in a comment on his YouTube channel page.
"Huge congrats to Russell Westbrook on MVP, that boy went out there and was a created player on 2k all year, F---in balled out," the Golden State Warriors star wrote. "Gotta respect it!"
Kendrick Perkins, a Thunder teammate of Westbrook and Durant from 2011 to '15, said in May that he brokered a phone call between the pair that took place in April after Westbrook eclipsed Oscar Robertson's triple-double record. Perkins said Durant texted that he had a "nice conversation" with Westbrook, a stark cry from three months earlier, when neither player was interested in talking about their relationship during All-Star Weekend.
The Thunder also shared a video tribute to Westbrook from Taylor Swift.
.@taylorswift13 sings Russell's praises! #0urMVP pic.twitter.com/5HgKeVrMsi
— OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) June 27, 2017
The singer joked that she was the one who taught Westbrook basketball and that Westbrook gave her the idea for her hit song "Shake It Off." She later acknowledged that the pair had never met.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
