Fansided

Russell Westbrook’s new Jordan brand commercial throws shade at Kevin Durant

By Gerald Bourguet

May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) waits to take the floor prior to the game the game against the Golden State Warriors in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
May 26, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) waits to take the floor prior to the game the game against the Golden State Warriors in game five of the Western conference finals of the NBA Playoffs at Oracle Arena. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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In Russell Westbrook’s new commercial for Jordan brand, there may or may not be some shade thrown at Kevin Durant.

The hits just keep coming for former NBA MVP Kevin Durant.

It’s been months since his shocking and controversial (read: perfectly sensical, from a basketball perspective) decision to leave the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors, but the NBA community has yet to recover.

Despite saving Team USA time and time again in the Summer Olympics in Rio, Durant’s temporary status as national hero will come to an end the moment Warriors training camp begins for the 2016-17 NBA season.

Already we’ve seen Twitter-wide outrage, former NBA greats express their disgust and even a petition from an Oklahoman resident to change the name of Durant, OK to Westbrook, OK.

The latest KD slander comes in the form of Russell Westbrook’s Jordan brand commercial for the new Air Jordan XXXI’s, which not so subtly states, “Some run, some make runways.”

This, of course, refers to KD’s infamous decision to leave OKC and join a 73-win team after the Thunder let a 3-1 series lead against Golden State slip away in the 2016 Western Conference Finals.

Westbrook, who was Durant’s superstar partner in crime during their time together in OKC, enters the 2016-17 NBA season as one of the league’s MVP favorites. After absorbing the sting of his star teammate’s departure, you can be guaranteed Russ — who already has a reputation of being one of the league’s fiercest competitors — will be playing with a chip on his shoulder.

Last season, Westbrook averaged 23.5 points, 10.4 assists, 7.8 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game and broke Magic Johnson’s modern-era, single-season record for triple-doubles. In 2014-15, when Durant missed 55 games, Westbrook led the league in scoring at 28.1 points per game.

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The constant Durant slander is a bit unwarranted, but if those numbers and this new commercial are any indication, it’s safe to say the world should be very excited about the prospect of a salty, unhinged Russell Westbrook.

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