Russell Westbrook Biography, Life, Interesting Facts

Russell Westbrook is an African-American who plays for the NBA side Oklahoma City Thunder. He has helped his team multiple titles and has been named in NBA All-Star team seven times. In addition to that, he has been ranked as the most valuable player in the NBA two times.

Background

Russell Westbrook was born in Long Beach, California, on 12th November 1988. His parents are Shannon Horton and Russell Westbrook Jr. He has one brother, Reynard.

At an early age, Westbrook wanted to be a basketball player. He grew up with Khelcey who was his best friend; both had an ambition of playing basketball. His friend, however, died at a young age from a heart condition.

He developed his basketball skills from his father who was a playground star with his mother hatching to concentrate more on education.

Early career

Russell Westbrook's entry to high school saw him attract some attention due to his physic. He was 5 ft 8 and weighed 140 pounds which were way high for a freshman. It took a lot of hard work for Westbrook to walk into the first team. Despite stiff competition from his seniors he eventually worked his way into the first team.

He later became a basketball prospect, and the professional team started raising eyebrows on him. He was eventually offered a chance to play for Ben Howland team before he even cleared high school.

His career at Ben Howland was nothing short of a success. He helped his team to the top four in both seasons he played. In his second season with the team, he earned conference Defensive Player of the Year award.

Rise to stardom

After playing for two seasons at Ben Howland, Russell Westbrook signed for Oklahoma City Thunder where he averaged 15 points per game in his debut season. He became the fifth player in the history of NBA to make 1,500 assists and accumulate 4000 points. He formed a successful partnership with Kevin Durant.

Although playing with a high scoring LeBron James who was often the center of attention, Westbrook's explosive and tenacious style of play stole the show on many occasions.

Russell Westbrook later won men basketball gold medal for the U.S. during the Olympics. He was however hit by a setback during the 2013 playoffs. He suffered a torn meniscus.

He underwent his first operation in 2013 after an injury he got during the playoffs. Another operation was done to him a few months later. He was forced to miss two months of early 2013/2014 season.

Despite his successful career, he was often accused of being selfish and not passing the ball more. In the absence of James, Westbrook was the automatic top scorer of the team.

Fashion

Apart from basketball career, Russell Westbrook had an interest in fashion design. He often attracted attention for his creative and colorful outfits. He signed a contract with Barneys New York, a luxury store in 2014. The store agreed to sell Westbrook XO Barneys New York line.

In 2014, Westbrook launched Westbrook Frames eyewear. One year later he landed a lucrative deal as the creative marketing director in the True Religion spring.

Personal life

Throughout his playing career, Russell Westbrook honored his childhood friend Khelcey Barrs by wearing "KB3" on his sneakers. He married Nina Earl on 29th August 2015. The two had been lovers since college. The couple has one kid, Noah Russell Westbrook.