Russell Westbrook Thought LeBron Picked Him Last in the All-Star Draft

And then he went out and scored 46 points.

Thursday’s NBA All-Star draft wasn’t televised because some players thought it would create unnecessary drama, but it sounds like that ended up happening anyway. 

LeBron James and Stephen Curry picked their teams over a private conference call and the NBA announced the results in a tweet. 

As drafted by #NBAAllStar team captains #LeBronJames and #StephenCurry....

The 2018 @NBAAllStar Rosters! pic.twitter.com/TbZtvitP4f

— NBA (@NBA) January 26, 2018

Well, well, well. Look who’s at the bottom of LeBron’s list: Russell Westbrook. Can you believe the reigning MVP was the last pick of the draft? Russ can’t.

Not realizing the list was in alphabetical order—like, come on, LeBron is gonna pick LaMarcus Aldridge four spots ahead of Kevin Durant?—Westbrook was asked after Thursday night’s game about landing on Team LeBron. After being egged on by Carmelo Anthony, Westbrook shared his disbelief. 

Russell Westbrook asked his thoughts about being picked on LeBron’s team, thought he was the last pick. Informed it was just an alphabetical list, he made sure to correct Melo who was heckling nearby. pic.twitter.com/gPMgPr91Kz

— Royce Young (@royceyoung) January 26, 2018

LeBron couldn’t resist having a little fun at Russ’s expense the next day. 

'The only thing I know for sure is that Russ went last. He's crazy' — Brodie picked last for the ASG, according to LeBron 😂

(via @cavs) pic.twitter.com/W6Uw7nfaER

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) January 26, 2018

You get the impression, judging by Westbrook’s interaction with Melo, that Anthony managed to convince him the list wasn’t alphabetical. That’s a great prank, and also apparently a smart motivational tactic. Westbrook dropped 46 points in a close win over the Wizards. 

[via Deadspin]