.@JHarden13 & @russwest44 having the time of their lives. 😂
James Harden and new Rockets teammate Russell Westbrook appear to be enjoying the MLB playoffs. The Rockets stars were seen sitting behind home plate waiving towels and cheering on the Astros against the Yankees in ALCS Game 6. Harden and Westbrook were decked out in their Astros jerseys and towels during the game.
The NBA stars were seen chatting with Justin Verlander’s wife, Kate Upton, between innings, per Houston Chronicle. Harden and Westbrook were doing their part to try to help the Astros punch their ticket to another World Series appearance. Westbrook was also seen at Minute Maid Park during Game 2 of the Astros-Yankees series.
Russ knows how to ignite an offense! 🚀
The Rockets traded for Westbrook over the offseason and the NBA All-Star is doing his best to embrace his new city. Harden noted that the two players are not worried about running the offense together.
“When you’re that great of a basketball player, you just go out there and hoop,” Harden explained to the Houston Chronicle. “There’s no like, ‘Oh, you have to change your game.’ We’ll figure it out. It’s not difficult. We’ll let everyone else outside the locker room talk about, ‘Can they figure it out?’ Nah. We’re going to figure it out. It’s going to happen. It’s going to be easy.”
Harden & Westbrook Were Former Thunder Teammates
This is not the first time Harden and Westbrook have teamed up. The two were teammates with the Thunder before Harden was later traded to the Rockets. Since their first time together, Harden has emerged as one of the best players in the NBA. Westbrook noted that they are not worried about who ends up scoring the most points each night.
“I can pass the basketball,” Westbrook explained to Houston Chronicle. “I’m the best rebounder at my position. I can screen. I can cut. I can do whatever I need to do to help us win. I can talk, communicate. There’s so many different things in the game. I don’t really care about (scoring), as long as we win. That’s the most important part. If James has it going, I’ll sit there and watch. No problem with me. It doesn’t matter who scores, how many points they score. As long as the Houston Rockets are scoring and … winning, that’s all I care about.”
Verlander Has Been Seen at Rockets’ Playoff Games
Verlander is also known to cheer on the Rockets as he and Upton were spotted courtside at a 2018 playoff game. The pro athletes in Houston appear to get along well as the Astros ace is also friends with Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson. Verlander emphasized that the two are just friends, and he is not trying to “mentor” the NFL star.
”Obviously being in the same city and just kind of being in the spotlight like he is, I guess we just kind of relate that way,” Verlander explained to USA Today. “…It’s not like I’m trying to mentor him. He’s just an awesome person that I want to hang out with. He is an awesome dude.”