The start to the NBA offseason has been as crazy as any. The Houston Rockets and Boston Celtics, among others, are making headlines left and right. But for all the drama that’s going on now, while the NBA Draft and free agency loom, there was a fair amount of chaos on the court throughout the 2018-19 season.
Take the Thunder, for instance. Back in December, Russell Westbrook got into it with Nuggets guard Jamal Murray and the eventual 2019 All-NBA First Team Center, Nikola Jokic. Murray and Westbrook were lining up next to one another when sparks started flying. Jokic then inserted himself, causing Westbrook to turn his focus to the big man. The ordeal eventually came to an end, though it didn’t appear the issue was resolved.
Well, apparently, Jokic and Westbrook have patched things up — and did so fairly quickly. In a recent interview with Srbija Danas, a media outlet in Jokic’s home country Serbia, the center’s father, Branislav, said his son and the Thunder star made amends at the 2019 NBA All-Star Weekend. Reddit user NBABandWagonFan translated Jokic’s father’s comments:
Respect is very important in [the] NBA. The more others appreciate you, the more media appreciates you and so on. We were talking about his confrontation with Westbrook. During [the] All-Star [weekend], two of them hit it [off] well, they were together all the time and at one point, Nikola asked Westbrook ‘What are you gonna buy me for my birthday?’ [which is in February]. And Westbrook did buy him a present. They are all normal people when they remove the jersey. We shouldn’t mix it with the court.
Maybe Jokic will share what Westbrook gave him when the Nuggets go toe-to-toe with the Thunder next year. Because there’s no shot Westbrook discloses that information.
