NBA MVP Russell Westbrook Gives All Credit to God: 'Without His Blessing, I Wouldn't Be Standing Here Today'
With tears of joy in his eyes, Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook thanked God and his family most sincerely after he was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the 2016-17 season on Monday.
Well known for his icy demeanor on the basketball court, Westbrook showed the kind of genuine emotions his fans had not seen before as he spoke before a large gathering of NBA personalities at the culmination of the league's inaugural awards show.
"First and foremost, thank you to the Man Above," Westbrook said, referring to God, as soon as he took the stage at Pier 36 in New York City. "Without His blessing, without His honor, I wouldn't be standing here today... I am very, very blessed to be in the position I am today."
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Westbook also paid tribute to the people closest to him. "My parents, man, you guys did any and everything to make sure me and my brother had anything we wanted. I told myself I wasn't going to cry," Westbrook said as he began choking up.
"I can't say thank you enough. You guys sacrificed everything in your life ... I couldn't be able to do none of this without you guys. I can't say thank you enough," he added.
The 28-year-old MVP ended his speech by heaping praises and thanking his wife, Nina.
"Since day one, meeting you, 2007, back at UCLA, I knew you were special, and special to me," he said. "You make me go. You hold me down. You keep me in check, through good and through bad. You make sure that I'm on the right track, and I'm so, so appreciative of you, because you've sacrificed so, so much for me every single day, and I can't thank you enough."
The MVP could not contain his emotions. "Every time I come home, regardless of good or bad game, every time I see your face, your smile, it does nothing but brighten me up, and I just want to say that I love you," he said.
Westbrook beat James Harden of the Houston Rockets and Kawhi Leonard of the San Antonio Spurs for the league's top honor, according to CBS Sports.
ESPN said Westbrook won handily, receiving 69 of 101 first-place votes, with Harden getting 22, Leonard, nine, and LeBron James, one.
Westbrook became only the second player and first in 55 years to average a triple-double for an entire NBA season, Reuters reported.
The Thunder ace guard averaged a mind-boggling 31.6 points, 10.4 assists and 10.7 rebounds over 81 games, making him the first player to average double-digits in three major categories since Oscar Robertson first did it in 1961-62.
Westbrook won the game's biggest individual award for his tenacity on the court as he took charge of the Thunder with the loss of All-Star Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors last summer, KFOR.com reported.
