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.
Bron, he went from Pacer killer to out of the picture for us so I could appreciate him. I’m from LA too so I got a soft spot for the Lakers (especially Kobe and Shannon Brown ifykyk). So it’s nice to be able to root for the king.
Inversely I went from liking AD on the Pels to really disliking him on the Lakers. I can’t stand his streekyness. Be one of the best players in the league or be mid af, but either way pick one lol.