Everybody loves you here You make me better You set the tone You’re an MVP-caliber player It’s a blessing to play with you man When Durant left Westbrook behind though their friendship was shattered And it seemed clear that the Thunder would struggle Many people thought that Westbrook would not be able to carry the Thunder on his own But those skeptics knew little about Russell Westbrook Without Durant the Thunder superstar transformed into one of the greatest scoring threats in the league After Durant left what followed was one of the most legendary individual seasons in NBA history Westbrook has changed into a force of nature in the NBA But perhaps more important he has become one of basketball’s most unique stars From his sense of style to his work ethic on and off the court Westbrook has proven his star power and hustle countless times in his NBA career Furthermore he has proven his commitment to the people around him including those in Oklahoma City Westbrook has gone above and beyond any expectations he had growing up in Long Beach California Durant was right about one thing the point guard was and is MVP-caliber 6 RUSSELL WESTBROOK TRIPLE-DOUBLE SUPERSTAR
Why Not Russ Russell Westbrook III was born on November 12 1988 in Long Beach California His parents Russell Westbrook Jr and Shannon Horton raised him in Hawthorne California The couple also had another son Russell’s younger brother Raynard Westbrook poses with members of his family left to right his wife Nina his brother Raynard and his parents Shannon and Russell Jr 7 CHAPTER ONE
QUICK FACT When Russ was little his dad had him shoot 500 shots a day in the gym Russell Westbrook Jr worked at a bread factory while his wife worked at a public school cafeteria in Los Angeles The Westbrooks son loved school and basketball His favorite subject in school was math And he was very smart But basketball soon became an obsession for Russ When Russ was seven he started shadowing his father at Ross Snyder Park a recreation center in Los Angeles His favorite pro player was Earvin Magic Johnson who played for the Los Angeles Lakers Russ grew quickly just like much of his family Though his father is just 5 feet 8 inches tall Westbrook’s grandfather was 6 feet 1 inch tall and his grandfather’s sister is 6 feet 2 But he never grew to become a 7-footer like some who dominate the NBA He eventually topped out at 6 feet 3 Learning and Practice Russ was far from a natural basketball talent right away Getting into the NBA takes countless hours of training and working out both on and off the court Russ would even do pull-ups at home on a bar his parents put up on their patio Reggie Hamilton Russ’s first basketball coach knew early on how determined he was They first met when Russ was nine Hamilton coached a team called the LA Elite that was based at Jesse Owens Park gym He said that Russ was always very focused even as a child Westbrook’s dad said he knew his son was going to be something special when he insisted on spending part of Thanksgiving Day during his freshman year of high school practicing his shot He said Dad I know it’s Thanksgiving But I want to shoot Let’s go shoot Russ’s father told Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman in 2011 All that practice was for a reason though Russ couldn’t shoot a lick according to Hamilton But he was very emotional and driven 8 RUSSELL WESTBROOK TRIPLE-DOUBLE SUPERSTAR
Why Not Russ Westbrook far left helps out at his Why Not Foundation’s basketball camp at Jesse Owens Park in Los Angeles in 2017 He inspires young basketball players much as his first coach Reggie Hamilton inspired him In May 2004 their high school coach took Russ and Khelcey to Los Angeles Southwest College to play pickup basketball against some high 9 which came through on the court He was very competitive from a real young age Hamilton told the Oklahoman He did not like to lose And he definitely always played hard So that was a good positive thing right off the bat An Early Loss Growing up Russ played basketball with his best friend Khelcey Barrs III Barrs was a great player in high school starting for Leuzinger High School in Lawndale California as a freshman Khelcey and I both definitely wanted to go to UCLA Russ later told ESPN Go there together and then go to the NBA QUICK FACT Russ wore a size 14 shoe when he was just 15 years old
