Russell Westbrook Jokes About Missing Met Gala After Nuggets' Game 1 Win vs. Thunder

One of the perils of NBA playoff basketball is that a fashion-obsessed player like Russell Westbrook has to miss fashion's biggest night because his team is playing.

Following the Denver Nuggets' thrilling 121-119 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 1 of the Western Conference semifinals on Monday (starts at :40 mark), Westbrook joked about missing the Met Gala by saying he told himself "I'm gonna bring the Met to Oklahoma City."

Westbrook, a fashion aficionado, has previously participated in the Met Gala in 2021 and 2023.

After the Nuggets advanced to the second round with a Game 7 win over the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday, it meant Westbrook would be unable to attend this year because he would be busy.

The Nuggets stole a win in Game 1 on Aaron Gordon's game-winning three with 3.0 seconds remaining. Jalen Williams' last-second attempt for the Thunder came up short, allowing Denver to steal home-court advantage in the series.

Even though Westbrook couldn't physically be at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, he still took part in the event from a distance by rolling into Paycom Center wearing a coat that belonged to former Vogue editor André Leon Talley.

Despite being upset about missing the event, he was probably happy to have a good reason to do so. He was great in the Game 7 win over the Clippers, scoring 16 points in 27 minutes.

Westbrook continued his hot streak against the team he spent the first 11 years of his career with. The nine-time All-Star scored 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting in 30 minutes against the Thunder on Monday night.