They may face-off on the court, but the real grudge match comes on the battlefield!
Trading in basketball shorts for fatigues, All-Star point guard Russell Westbrook is leading a team of military servicemen and gamers up against a team led by Boston Celtics forward Kevin Garnett at this weekend’s Call of Duty XP event in Los Angeles.
“It’s a good event, a fun and exciting one too. I’m looking forward to playing against Kevin [Garnett], he says he plays a bit so I’m going to try and be competitive out here,” Westbrook said.
Westbrook is no stranger to gaming himself though, and he believes he is ready for the challenge.
(AP)
“Everybody’s a gamer, of course I am one too. I definitely play a lot of Call of Duty, some NBA 2K11 and a few street racing games,” Westbrook said.
Westbrook also hinted that he has been practicing a bit, playing with some of his Oklahoma City Thunder teammates during the season.
“Oh yeah, we definitely play. Four of us will get together on one system and just play free-for-all. James [Harden] is usually the winner, he’s pretty good, but then it’s me, Eric [Maynor] and Daequan [Cook],” Westbrook said.
Although he is the general of the hardwood, Westbrook said he wouldn’t be calling the shots come gametime, he’d leave that to his teammates.
“They’re the ones who will be telling me what to do. They are really good and know how it goes already. I’m going to be sitting back and listening to what they tell me to do!” Westbrook said.
Westbrook also loves being part of the action, especially when playing Call of Duty.
“I’m a bit reckless, I’m a run and gun type player. You definitely get more kills that way, but you also die more. But shoot, sitting back and sniping is boring, I want to have fun when I play, not be boring,” Westbrook said.
Despite being one of the best young players in the NBA today, Westbrook shed some light on what he thinks about his Thunder teammate, two-time scoring champion Kevin Durant.
“What else can I say about Kevin. When you are talking about the best players in the league, Kevin is probably one or two. He does so much to get himself ready to play and has lead the league in scoring two years in a row now. He does stuff I haven’t seen on the court before. He’s also a big part of me improving my game, he helps me out, keeps me focused and helps me make plays,” Westbrook said.
Westbrook said he also “definitely” plans to pick up Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 when it hits stores this November.
