‘Let Westbrook be Westbrook’: A study of the phrase, the origin and its lasting legacy in OKC

Seven years, a Most Valuable Player Award and a new team later, the phrase — the mantra — lives on.

The four words don’t ring out as they did in 2012, when Russell Westbrook was 23 years old and leading the Thunder into the NBA Finals’ cauldron of criticism. If you go on Twitter and do a quick search, however, they’re not hard to find.

Thunder fans who lived through the highs and lows of 11 years of Westbrook undoubtedly had moments when they’d waver between putting the slogan proudly in all caps, then deleting it before pressing send.

Then, Westbrook would do something otherworldly off-script, saving a game with a cluster of rebounds or an ill-advised 3-pointer.

The debate on how to be a lead guard was being furiously fought out in public — a basketball tug-of-war between what was traditionally required from the position and the Thunder/Westbrook way.

When Westbrook hears the adoration of the crowd Thursday at Chesapeake Energy Arena as a member of the Houston Rockets, he won’t be able to hear individual voices, but the 18,203 strong might as well be saying it.

“Let Westbrook be Westbrook.”

This isn’t a story about Jared Dubin.

But the story can’t be told without his phrase.

During the 2012 playoffs, the Westbrook takes started flying even before the NBA Finals. Dubin, who had just finished law school, was freelance writing for the basketball website Hardwood Paroxysm.

Dubin was also rewatching “The West Wing,” the critically acclaimed NBC political drama that centered on fictional U.S. President Josiah “Jeb” Bartlet, played by Martin Sheen.

Dubin, a longtime advocate of Westbrook’s talents, noticed the criticism raining down on the point guard during the Thunder’s second-round series against the Lakers.

“They’d won the series, but one of the dominant storylines during the series was that Westbrook was taking a bunch more shots than Durant … ‘Russ should be a shooting guard; he needs to be a true shooting guard. Why is he shooting so much?’” Dubin recalled. “The idea was everybody was trying to change this guy and make him into something he’s not. They wanted to take away the thing that makes him who he is and makes him so good.”

It was then that Dubin made a parallel to an episode of “The West Wing” entitled “Let Bartlet Be Bartlet.” The episode centers on the President being himself and not modifying his policies to suit the opposing political party.

Toward the end of the episode, the President’s Chief of Staff encourages Bartlet to be himself, writing “LET BARTLET BE BARTLET” on a legal pad in big letters, then talking to other staff members about what’s next.

The Chief of Staff’s speech might as well have been from head coach Scott Brooks, general manager Sam Presti or one of Westbrook’s Thunder teammates during the 2012 NBA Finals.

Chief of Staff: “We’re gonna lose some of these battles, and we might even lose the White House, but we’re not gonna be threatened by issues. We’re gonna put them front and center. We’re gonna raise the level of public debate in this country, and let that be our legacy.”

“Russ is an attack-first point guard with a scorer’s mentality,” Thunder center Kendrick Perkins said during the NBA Finals between Games 2 and 3. “We got this far by him doing what he do.”

“Russell is an aggressive player,” Brooks said. “We need Russell to score. I know some of you don’t like that. But Russell is a very, very gifted and talented player and we would not be in this position without Russell Westbrook.”

The phrase “Let Westbrook be Westbrook” soon became synonymous with any Westbrook feat of strength, but particularly when it equated to victory.

“I had been watching that and I was just like, ‘Don’t try to make Westbrook moderate his game and change things to be something he’s not,’” Dubin said. “Take the good with the bad and accept that there’s a lot more good than bad and just let Westbrook be Westbrook, because when he’s on his game, it’s so thrilling and clear that he’s one of the best in the league.”

Even as Westbrook’s star began to rise, the phrase’s power began to dwindle.

The philosophy of “Let Westbrook be Westbrook” wasn’t just on-court. Forget the media. The Thunder had allowed Westbrook over time to treat his own coaches and team staff members in such a way that it negatively affected the mood of the organization.

Yet, since the 2019 playoffs, I’ve given a lot of thought and reconsideration to many of the opinions and frustrations I had formulated trying to understand Westbrook for four seasons.

It started with a conversation.

In the midst of that Thunder-Blazers first-round series, a member of the Thunder organization and I waited at an airport gate and talked about all things Westbrook. I was presented by this person with an analogy:

Imagine being where Westbrook was from — inner-city Los Angeles — and what effect that environment can have on a young man in all aspects of his life. Imagine being the “little brother” to Durant from Day 1. Imagine that dynamic resulting in criticism that frequently avoided Durant.

Months later, something Dubin acutely pointed out caught my attention.

“From a very early point, everything was focused on his shortcomings and the things he couldn’t do and didn’t want to do,” Dubin said of Westbrook. “Because, obviously, Durant was so quickly one of the very best players in the league.”

Durant’s mere presence on the floor with Westbrook was how the idea of “Let Westbrook be Westbrook” was primarily challenged. For many, the concept of Westbrook being passionate about the game wasn’t an issue, but when “Let Westbrook be Westbrook” deprived Durant opportunities to impose his cold-blooded offensive efficiency on the Thunder’s opponent?

The best example was when Westbrook was heavily criticized following a 2-of-10 first half in Game 2 of the NBA Finals in 2012. The criticism included former Lakers great Magic Johnson — one of Westbrook’s idols growing up in Los Angeles — calling it “the worst performance by a point guard in NBA Finals history” on ABC’s halftime show.

Nothing is ever black and white when it comes to Westbrook, however.

At the time, Durant wasn’t strong enough and had yet to master how to create separation from stout defenders like LeBron James. Surrounded by defense-first players such as Perkins, Thabo Sefolosha and Serge Ibaka, who weren’t individual shot creators, Westbrook was often faced with taking shots late in the clock or under duress when Durant couldn’t get open.

Imagine playing in the NBA Finals at 23. Now, imagine doing it under scrutiny from not just the burgeoning social media monster, but one of the most important voices in the history of your sport.

“He should have been born before the Twitter age,” Heat forward Shane Battier said following Game 3 of the 2012 Finals.

“That’s the only explanation (for the criticism). He’s so talented, man. What he has you can’t teach.”

The Thunder had the same thought, giving him the runway to take off long before that four-word phrase did, understanding that to rein in such a talent would be to stifle what made him an All-Star. Multiple people inside the organization believe they could and should have handled it differently, while also acknowledging Westbrook being Westbrook was the engine of extreme success.

Then, the analytics boom really put on the press.

Just as Dubin’s phrase was building ALL CAPS momentum, a 60-win Thunder team’s greatest chance at a championship was derailed when Patrick Beverley crashed into Westbrook’s knee in the 2013 playoffs.

The next season, the Thunder were stopped by the Spurs in the Western Conference finals. The next season, Durant missed 52 games because of foot injuries and the world received a glimpse of what Westbrook was capable of leading the charge.

The results were heroic. Westbrook won his first scoring title, albeit with the lowest shooting percentage of his career as he had to shoulder more of the offensive load. The Thunder missed the playoffs by one game. Westbrook finished fourth in MVP voting.

But the Warriors, cranking 3-pointers at an alarming rate of not just volume but efficiency, set records with Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson and first-year coach Steve Kerr en route to an NBA championship. Analytics weren’t as mainstream in 2014, but that season’s Warriors aesthetic combined with the results forever shifted the value system of not all, but many NBA consumers.

“At the time, it was really sort of the nascent basketball analytics movement in terms of it sweeping into mainstream NBA analysis,” Durbin said. “It was like ‘Durant is so good and also one of the most efficient scorers ever, and ‘Westbrook is so productive, but he doesn’t have the same efficiency as Durant.’”

Westbrook couldn’t win. Many of us were only counting victories in basketball.

Before writing for Westbrook’s return, I made a call to Mike Sherman, the former sports editor of The Oklahoman who’s now the sports editor for the Tampa Bay Times. Sherman’s the reason I even cover the Thunder.

The call was just to catch up, but inevitably we ended up talking about stories and Westbrook. I started explaining to Sherman my fascination with the notion of “Let Westbrook be Westbrook” and what happened to it, how I was going to figure out where it started and finished.

Sherman reminded me it never really ended.

NBA players are required to do a certain number of community events every season. Typically, players fulfill these duties through their team.

Westbrook took liberties with those duties, and the Thunder obliged. “Let Westbrook be Westbrook.”

Most of his community events didn’t funnel through the Thunder, but through his Russell Westbrook Why Not? Foundation. For nine years, he raised money for his foundation through the Why Not? Bowl, an event that coupled his love of bowling with charity. While in Oklahoma City, Westbrook helped fund reading rooms in more than 20 metro-area elementary schools. He arranged his schedule so he was always present to serve Thanksgiving dinner with his wife, Nina, at the Boys & Girls Club. Every Christmas, Westbrook would give gift bags and sneakers to underprivileged children.

“Oh my God he talked to me!” pic.twitter.com/xzapLhXAzZ

— Erik Horne (@ErikHorneOK) December 16, 2018

When Durant left, Westbrook was more than a crutch of support for the community after signing an extension with the Thunder a month later — he became the comedic relief for a city scorned.

The Thunder obliged as if they could stop him. “Let Westbrook be Westbrook.”

He took opportunities in his MVP season of 2016-17 to troll Durant with his wardrobe choices, then pretended like they were coincidences. In 2017, he signed his five-year, $205 million supermax contract extension on Sept. 29, Durant’s birthday.

Thanks to Westbrook, Oklahoma City got to deliver the punchline. Petty, but cathartic.

In those three seasons post-Durant, here’s what “Let Westbrook be Westbrook” brought to Oklahoma City: An MVP, a scoring title, three consecutive seasons of a triple-double average, the NBA record for triple-doubles in a season, Oscar Robertson, Carmelo Anthony, Paul George, an average of 48 wins, three consecutive first-round playoff exits, national TV games, continued buzz, frustration and appreciation.

“Russell Westbrook gave the Thunder and the Oklahoma community everything he had for over a decade,” Presti said in a statement Wednesday. “He arrived when his career and the organization were literally starting from zero. Russell was a catalyst for a lot of incredible moments and memories for our fans, but it is his relentlessness, longevity and commitment that define his legacy in Oklahoma City. It’s going to be a unique moment when he steps back on the Chesapeake floor, a chance for people to recognize someone that will always figure prominently into the history of our city.”

The Houston Rockets have strategically rested Westbrook this season. They did so Wednesday on the first night of a back-to-back so he could be available in Oklahoma City.

Westbrook resting? That was unheard of in Oklahoma City. Those collaborative efforts between staff and player from years past are a little more collaborative in Houston. Maybe “Let Westbrook be Westbrook” isn’t as prevalent because time requires change from all of us.

But when you get a chance, log onto Twitter and do a quick search. There’s Westbrook in a black Rockets jersey knifing through defenders in transition. There’s a chain of messages that would rival the most ardent support for Kobe Bryant. There’s that phrase.

It’s still alive.

Some things never change.

(Photo: Cameron Browne / Getty Images)