MJ says he's proud of Westbrook's loyalty

Michael Jordan introduced Russell Westbrook at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame ceremony on Thursday night. Jordan had lots of high praise for the Thunder guard. He said that Westbrook reminds him of himself, he reminded everyone that he had been trying to move the Hornets up in the draft to pick Westbrook, and he talked about how proud he was that Westbrook stayed in OKC after Kevin Durant left.

ESPN's Royce Young shared video of Jordan speaking that includes the laughter from the crowd after Jordan says, "[Westbrook] could've easily come to Charlotte, but he decided to stay here in Oklahoma. I'm not trying to bash anyone that's not here."

MJ: "Another thing you should be proud of is the sense of loyalty this kid has shown."

(Crowd cheers.)

"He could've easily come to Charlotte, but he decided to stay here in Oklahoma. I'm not trying to bash anyone that's not here."

(Crowd laughs and then cheers.)

"Everybody has a choice. I'm not saying that you don't have a choice. Everybody has a choice. And when I saw that he chose to stay in Oklahoma, I was so proud. As Clay knows and as Russell knows, I texted him to show a sense of respect because you guys have a very, very special kid."

You can watch Jordan's full introduction speech here, courtesy of The Norman Transcript's Fred Katz.

And then you should watch Westbrook dance to Do What I Want in this Jordan Brand ad.