Westbrook was never one of my favorite players during most of his prime, but seeing how Westbrook has handled his last few years helped me gain a lot of respect for him.
Sure he never was the lead guy on a championship team, but his competitiveness is amazing. He played his best through all the Lakers drama. Westbrook also put up 37 in a playoff game in the most recent playoffs. I’m quite a huge fan of this late-career Westbrook.
Kobe - when I first started following the NBA as a kid, Kobe was the player I liked to root against. Near the end of his career I had nothing but love for him.
Honestly? Joel Embiid. I used to be a Jokic or nothing kinda guy. A real low IQ basketball watcher. Then I watched Embiid. I saw a block. What was that? Guys were afraid to drive against him. Then he scored a million points on the other end. Sometimes you’re Jokic. Sometimes you’re Gobert. Rarely are you the best of both. It was like a window being opened and revealing a new world. I never imagined playing TWO sides of the ball. That’s why I fully support Joel’s MVP last year and, don’t tell anyone, but he should have won the year before, too! Jokic deserved the first one because of games played. Respect.