Inside The Nuggets

Russell Westbrook's Performance in Denver Nuggets Debut Goes Viral

Russell Westbrook played his first NBA preseason game with the Denver Nuggets.

Joey Linn

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) during Media Day.
Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook (4) during Media Day. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
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Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets are in Abu Dhabi for two preseason games against Jayson Tatum and the Boston Celtics. The last two NBA champions came together to help the league continue their growth outside of the United States.

Friday’s game was the debut of Russell Westbrook in a Nuggets jersey. The nine-time NBA All-Star signed with the Nuggets in free agency this offseason.

Westbrook played 18 minutes in his Nuggets debut, tallying 12 points, eight assists, and four rebounds. The 2017 MVP made three of his six three-point attempts, and his overall performance went viral on social media with so many fans tuning in for this first NBA game of the year.

The NBA posted Westbrook’s first basket in a Nuggets uniform and the post tallied over 1.6 million views on Instagram.

Sharing an additional slow-mo look at Westbrook’s first basket, the NBA received an additional 85,0000 views in under 30 minutes on this post.

Even Westbrook's pregame routine went viral on Instagram. Ending his routine with his usual behind-the-basket corner three, Westbrook then sprints to the locker room.

This video on Instagram has over 900,000 views.

Tallying eight assists in just 18 minutes, Westbrook showed off his playmaking ability that remains elite.

One of Westbrook’s assists came on a pass to his longtime friend DeAndre Jordan.

This post from the NBA tallied over 57,000 views on X.

The Nuggets official team account also shared several Westbrook highlights, including an assist he had to young guard Julian Strawther.

Westbrook projects to bring Denver a lot of what they have been missing.

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Joey Linn
JOEY LINN

Title: Credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation Email: joeylinn52@gmail.com Education: Communication Studies degree from Biola University Location: Los Angeles, California Expertise: NBA analysis and reporting Experience: Joey Linn is a credentialed writer covering the NBA for Sports Illustrated's FanNation. Covering the LA Clippers independently in 2018, then for Fansided and 213Hoops from 2019-2021, Joey joined Sports Illustrated's FanNation to cover the Clippers after the 2020-21 season. Graduating from Biola University in 2022 with a Communication Studies degree, Joey served as Biola's play-by-play announcer for their basketball, baseball, softball, and soccer teams during his time in school. Joey's work on Biola's broadcasts, combined with his excellence in the classroom, earned him the Outstanding Communication Studies Student of the year award in 2022. Joey covers the NBA full-time across multiple platforms, primarily serving as a credentialed Clippers beat writer.

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