Westbrook was never one of my favorite players during most of his prime, but seeing how Westbrook has handled his last few years helped me gain a lot of respect for him.
Sure he never was the lead guy on a championship team, but his competitiveness is amazing. He played his best through all the Lakers drama. Westbrook also put up 37 in a playoff game in the most recent playoffs. I’m quite a huge fan of this late-career Westbrook.
Kobe - when I first started following the NBA as a kid, Kobe was the player I liked to root against. Near the end of his career I had nothing but love for him.
Paul Pierce. As a Raptors fan I despised him. Especially during that big 3 era. He talked so much trash but he backed it up.
It was also very frustrating to watch him move so slow yet get off shots so effectively.
Now I look back and appreciate how talented he was as a player.
I actually got a pierce Celtics jersey before I got a VC jersey… I really liked his game. After the Celtics tho, wasn’t as big of a fan and then post career… just… sheesh