Russell Westbrook Discusses Missing Chance to Meet Michael Jordan as a Kid

Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan has been in the news more recently with the release of the 10-part ESPN documentary The Last Dance, which covers the 1997-98 Bulls' championship season.

Many NBA players have spoken about Jordan recently, and Houston Rockets point guard Russell Westbrook offered this anecdote on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on Tuesday:

The 10- or 11-year-old Westbrook's dedication to playing a pickup game at Jordan's basketball camp in Santa Barbara may have led to him losing out on getting a signed basketball and meeting MJ in person then.

However, meeting Jordan certainly isn't an issue now, with Westbrook signed to the Jordan Brand.

Westbrook apparently felt close enough to Jordan to ask him to be his presenter at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame in 2016, per Ben Rohrbach of Yahoo Sports.

Better yet, Jordan gave some lofty compliments to the then-Oklahoma City Thunder star, with this remark standing out: "I am truly a fan of his. If you can ever say, being that we're so many years apart, that when I watch him play, I see a lot of resemblance of his passion for the game of basketball [to] the way I played the game of basketball."

Westbrook and Jordan are also just two of 12 players to win multiple All-Star Game MVP awards.