Oklahoma City Thunder fans are still processing the loss of star guard Russell Westbrook, who was officially traded to the Houston Rockets Tuesday.
T-shirts are stacked in soft piles on wooden tables and bookshelves at Shop Good in Oklahoma City.
One design is blue with “Thunder” printed in old-school orange cursive. Another, modeled after a campaign button, reads “I Like Russ” in block letters.
“It starts with being a super fan,” said shop co-owner Audrey Falk. Falk’s husband, Justin, designs each Thunder-themed shirt before the staff screenprints them by hand.
“He watches all the games, listens to all of the podcasts – all of the postgame interviews. So he’s constantly sketching stuff out.”
When ESPN first reported Westbrook’s trade Thursday, the Falks were watching the musical “Newsies” at the Civic Center.
“You could see everybody’s phones popping up in the theater,” Falk laughed. “It was like breaking up in public. We couldn’t talk about it. We just kept looking at each other through the whole production like, ‘Oh my god!’”
The Oklahoma City Thunder have agreed to trade Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, first-round picks in 2024 and 2026, pick swaps in 2021 and 2025, league sources tell ESPN.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) July 12, 2019
Falk offered a discount on the shop’s Paul George merchandise after the former Thunder forward was traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. But, she said Westbrook shirts still sell at full price.
“Russ is just so well-loved by Oklahoma and I think everyone kind of wants to commemorate his time here,” Falk said.
About five miles from Shop Good, Savion Woodard stood by a cell phone case kiosk at Penn Square Mall. Though he was initially disappointed at the trade, Woodard said he thinks Westbrook did the right thing for his career.
“No weirdness, no sadness, no upset, no grudge–nothing. I’m happy for him,” said Woodard.
Westbrook played for the Thunder for 11 years, starting with the team’s inaugural season. He set records with the team, including averaging a triple-double, or double-digits in points, rebounds and assists, for each of the past three seasons.
Westbrook was named the NBA’s Most Valuable Player in 2017, the same year he signed a more than $200 million contract extension with the Thunder.
“He was loyal,” said fan John Joyce. “We look back on it now and [think], ‘OK, maybe we overpaid him.’ But still I appreciate him sticking around when he did.”
Oklahoma City resident David Allen said Westbrook’s exit is an improvement on that of another now-notorious former Thunder player who left for the Golden State Warriors in 2016.
“[It’s] a lot better than how Kevin Durant did us, where he just up and left and didn’t say nothing to nobody.”
Thunder fan LJ Clark said he will always wear Westbrook’s jersey.
“Russ is a part of the Thunder. He’s a part of our culture,” Clark said. “He changed things and put us on the map here. I mean, we didn’t have anything and he gave us everything he had.”
Westbrook posted a thank you on Instagram Friday, calling his time in Oklahoma a “dream and a whirlwind.”
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