Because no matter what role he's playing — fan, analyst, future front-office official — Billups is pumped for the pairing of Westbrook with small forward Paul George, the four-time All-Star the Thunder acquired this month in a trade with the Indiana Pacers.

For now, the former Pistons great is an ESPN analyst and a point guard in the BIG3 professional three-on-three league. He's also a basketball fan and a friend of Russell Westbrook's, and it was in the latter capacities that he pulled aside the Thunder guard Sunday at the BOK Center.

“I love it, man,” Billups said. “Two of my favorite players in the league. Two two-way players. Two players that really want to win. I think it's gonna be really exciting.”

The BIG3 hit BOK on Sunday, a summer fix for a state buzzing about basketball thanks in large part to the tandem of Westbrook — the NBA's reigning MVP — with George in Oklahoma City.

Westbrook watched some of Sunday's action, and the Thunder was a hot topic in the hallways off the court as some of the former NBA players taking part weighed in on Oklahoma City's All-Star addition.

“It's always great to play with other great players because it makes the game so much easier for you,” said Allen Iverson, the Hall of Famer who called Westbrook his favorite NBA player. “The way (Westbrook) plays the game, it kinda looks easy, but he'll tell you it's not easy. That's how good he is. To the naked eye, to the fans, he makes it look easy. So imagine how it'll make it look if he has great players around him.”