BASKETBALL

Iowan Nick Collison gets special tribute from Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Russell Westbrook

Aaron Young
The Des Moines Register

Iowan Nick Collison got some love from one of his Oklahoma City teammates and the thousands packed inside Chesapeake Energy Arena at the start of the Thunder's game Wednesday night versus Memphis.

Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) speaks to the fans and recongnizes Oklahoma City Thunder forward Nick Collison (4) prior to action against the Memphis Grizzlies at Chesapeake Energy Arena.

Star point guard and reigning MVP Russell Westbrook addressed the crowd ahead of the Thunder's 137-123 victory and asked it to show Collison aka "Mr. Thunder" some appreciation. The pair have been teammates since Westbrook joined the NBA 10 years ago. 

"I'd like to bring up my friend, my mentor, my brother: Nick Collison," Westbrook said as the crowd erupted. "He's somebody I've always looked up to, man. It's a real pleasure have him here and I just wanted to make sure you guys show him some love.

"I'm not sure if this is his last season or not, but he's someone I've always looked up to as a brother. He's done so much for me and for this organization. I just want to make sure you guys give him a standing ovation for the things he's done for this city."

Watch the cool moment here:

And, just for fun, let's bring back the time last October when the two pals wore "White Men Can’t Jump" costumes for Halloween:

Collison, 37, played at Iowa Falls as a prep and led his team to back-to-back state championships in 1997 and 1998. He later went on to play at the University of Kansas, where his No. 4 jersey is retired. 

Collison was selected 12th overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2003 NBA Draft, and has spent his entire 14-year NBA career with the franchise — which moved to Oklahoma City in 2008.

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Before Wednesday's regular-season finale, Collison spoke to reporters and said he still enjoys playing the game. He'll figure out his plans following the NBA Playoffs.

"You realize you're not going to play forever, and I'm at least to the second half of my career. I know that," Collison said to laughs. "Other than that, I'm not sure exactly what's going to happen.

"I do start to appreciate these moments more and more as the season goes on."

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