BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY
Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook dribbling vs Cavs (cropped).jpg
Westbrook with the Thunder in January 2015
No. 0 – Oklahoma City Thunder
Position Point guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born November 12, 1988 (age 27)
Long Beach, California
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight 200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school Leuzinger (Lawndale, California)
College UCLA (2006–2008)
NBA draft 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
Playing career 2008–present
Career history
2008–present Oklahoma City Thunder
Career highlights and awards
5× NBA All-Star (2011–2013, 2015–2016)
2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2015, 2016)
All-NBA First Team (2016)
4× All-NBA Second Team (2011–2013, 2015)
NBA scoring champion (2015)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2009)
Third-team All-Pac-10 (2008)
Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year (2008)
Stats at NBA.com
Medals[hide]
Men's basketball
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Team competition
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2010 Turkey Team competition
Russell Westbrook Jr. (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time NBA All-Star and a two-time NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP), winning consecutive awards in 2015 and 2016. He is also a four-time All-NBA Second Team member.
Westbrook played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins and earned third-team all-conference honors in the Pac-10. He was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, who then relocated to Oklahoma City six days later. Westbrook has represented the United States national team twice, winning gold medals in the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics.
Contents
1 Early life
2 High school career
3 College career
4 Professional career
4.1 Oklahoma City Thunder (2008–present)
4.1.1 Rookie and first playoffs (2008–10)
4.1.2 All-Star and playoff success (2010–13)
4.1.3 Injury and comeback (2013–15)
4.1.4 2015–16 season
5 National team career
6 Player profile
7 NBA career statistics
7.1 Regular season
7.2 Playoffs
8 Awards and honors
8.1 NBA
8.2 College
8.3 High school
9 Endorsements
10 Personal life
Early life
Westbrook was born in Long Beach, California, to Russell Westbrook Sr. and Shannon Horton. He has a younger brother named Raynard.[1] Growing up in Hawthorne,[2][3][4] Westbrook and his best friend, Khelcey Barrs III, had hopes of going to UCLA and playing together.[5] However, in May 2004, Barrs tragically died from an enlarged heart during a pickup game.[6][7]
High school career
Westbrook entered Leuzinger High School as an unheralded 5-foot-8, 140-pound freshman point guard with size 14 shoes. He didn't start on his school's varsity team until his junior year,[7] and did not receive his first college recruiting letter until the summer before his senior year. Westbrook reached his adult height of 6′3″ that same summer.[8][9]
During his senior year, Westbrook averaged 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.3 assists and led them to a 25-4 record. That same season, he recorded 14 double-doubles, scored 30 or more points on eight separate occasions, and registered a career-best 51 points at Carson on January 6, 2006. Westbrook did not attract much attention from top college basketball programs until Ben Howland offered him a scholarship to play for the UCLA Bruins after Jordan Farmar declared for the NBA draft.
College career
Westbrook playing defense on USC's O. J. Mayo
Westbrook wore number 0 throughout his career at UCLA. In his freshman year, he played as a back up to Darren Collison and was primarily used as a defender and energy player off the bench. Westbrook averaged 3.4 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists on the year. The next season after Darren Collison was injured, he was named the starter and finished the season averaging 12.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.6 steals. At the end of the year, he was named All-Pac-10 Third Team and won the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year.
UCLA advanced to the Final Four during each of Westbrook's seasons with the team. In 2007, they lost to eventual national champion Florida, 76–66 and in 2008, they lost 78–63 to Memphis. After two years at UCLA, he decided to forgo his final two years and enter the 2008 NBA draft.[10]
College Year GP GS SPG BPG RPG APG PPG FG% 3P% FT%
UCLA 2006–07 36 1 .4 .0 .8 .7 3.4 45.7% 40.9% 54.8%
UCLA 2007–08 39 34 1.6 .2 3.9 4.3 12.7 46.5% 33.8% 71.3%
Professional career
Oklahoma City Thunder (2008–present)
Rookie and first playoffs (2008–10)
Westbrook (left) looks at teammate Kevin Durant in the post against Boston in 2010
Westbrook was selected 4th overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics (later known as the Oklahoma City Thunder due to sale of team and relocation). He signed with the team on July 5, 2008.[11] On March 2, 2009 Westbrook recorded his first career triple double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He was the first rookie since Chris Paul and the third rookie in Sonics/Thunder franchise history (Art Harris and Gary Payton) to record a triple-double.[12]
Westbrook averaged 15.3 points, 5.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals on the season. He finished fourth in the 2008–09 NBA Rookie of the Year voting behind Rookie of the Year winner Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls), O. J. Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies) and Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets).[13] He was named to the NBA's All-Rookie First Team.
In his second year, and first season as a full-time starter, Westbrook went on to average 16.1 points, 8.0 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals on the season. On April 4, 2010, he recorded 10 points and a career-high 16 assists in a 116-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Thunder made a huge turnaround by more than doubling their wins from the previous season and qualified for the playoffs with a 50–32 record. However, the Thunder were eliminated by the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. In the series, Westbrook stepped up his play from the regular season, averaging 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.2 steals.
All-Star and playoff success (2010–13)
Westbrook in March 2011
On November 26, 2010, Westbrook scored a then-career-high 43 points against the Indiana Pacers.[14] On December 1, 2010, he scored 38 points with 9 assists and achieved a new career-high of 15 rebounds in a triple-overtime win over the New Jersey Nets. Westbrook was selected by the NBA head coaches to be a Western Conference reserve for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game.[15] This was his first all-star appearance. Westbrook finished the season with averages of 21.9 points, 8.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.9 steals. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the first time. The Thunder finished the season at 55–27 and lost to the eventual world champion Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. Westbrook averaged 23.8 points, 6.4 assists and 5.4 rebounds in the playoffs.
In the 2011-12 season, Westbrook was again selected by the coaches to participate in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. On March 23, 2012, he scored a career-high 45 points in a 149–140 double overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He averaged 23.6 points, 5.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals for the lockout-shortened season and was voted to the All-NBA Second Team for the second year in a row. Westbrook helped lead the Thunder to the NBA Finals for the first time since the franchise relocated but OKC would lose in five games to the Miami Heat. On June 12, in game 1 of the Finals, Westbrook recorded 27 points and 11 assists in a 105-94 victory. He joined Michael Jordan as the only players with 25+ points and 10+ assists in their NBA Finals debut. In a game 4 loss, Westbrook scored a playoff career high 43 points.[16]
Westbrook was once again selected for the NBA All-Star Game. He finished the 2012–13 season averaging 23.2 points, 7.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.[17] Westbrook helped lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to the playoffs and the #1 seed in the Western Conference. They would go on to face the 8th seed Houston Rockets in the first round. On April 25, 2013, in the second game of the series, Westbrook injured his right knee when Rockets guard Patrick Beverley collided with him in an attempt to steal the ball. Although Westbrook was clearly bothered by the injury, he would continue playing and finished the game with 29 points. It was then revealed the next day that he had suffered a slight tear in his right meniscus.[18] He had surgery on April 27, 2013, and was declared out for the rest of the playoffs.[19] Without Westbrook, the Thunder defeated the Rockets in 6 games but fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in 5 games in the next round. Westbrook was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the third consecutive year.
Injury and comeback (2013–15)
Prior to the start of the 2013–14 season, Westbrook had a second surgery on his right knee, which set back his return to basketball.[20] Despite reports that he would miss the first two weeks of the regular season, Westbrook would miss only the first two games. On December 25, 2013, Westbrook recorded 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists as Oklahoma City beat the New York Knicks 123-94. This was just the eighth triple-double on Christmas Day in NBA history. The win was also the largest margin of victory in a Christmas Day game in NBA history.[21] On the day after his Christmas-day game, it was announced that Westbrook would undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and would be out until after the All-Star break.[22] During this time, The Thunder were able to remain competitive despite his absence due mainly to Kevin Durant's stellar play. Westbrook returned to the lineup on February 20, 2014. He played the rest of the season on limited minutes and sat out the second night of back-to-backs.
On March 4, 2014, Westbrook recorded his second triple-double of the season. He recorded 13 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, in just 20 minutes in a 125–92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. This was the second fastest recorded triple-double in NBA history.[23] Westbrook and the Thunder finished with a 59-23 record earning the #2 seed in the Western Conference. They advanced to the Western Conference Finals where they faced the San Antonio Spurs. On May 27, 2014, in a game 4 victory, Westbrook recorded 40 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists and 5 steals. In doing so, he joined Michael Jordan as the only other player to post those numbers in a playoff game. The Thunder lost the series to the eventual NBA champion Spurs in six games. Westbrook averaged 26.7 points, 8.1 assists, and 7.3 rebounds in the postseason, and became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1964 to average at least 26 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds in the playoffs.
Westbrook goes up for a layup against Cleveland in 2015
After scoring 38 points in a 106–89 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2014–15 season opener, Westbrook suffered a small fracture of the second metacarpal in his right hand the following game against the Los Angeles Clippers and subsequently missed 14 games with the injury.[24] He joined Kevin Durant on the sidelines after Durant fractured his right foot during preseason and was ruled out for six to eight weeks. With the pair both inactive for the start of the season, the Thunder dropped to a 4–12 record prior to Westbrook's return on November 28 against the New York Knicks. In Westbrook's first game back, he led the Thunder to a win over the Knicks with 32 points. Durant returned the following game to face the New Orleans Pelicans, as the pair helped the Thunder go on a seven-game winning streak to bring the Thunder back into playoff contention.[25] On January 16, 2015, Westbrook recorded his ninth career triple-double with 17 points, 15 rebounds and a career-high 17 assists in a 127–115 win over the Golden State Warriors,[26] becoming just the fifth player in NBA history to record a stat line of 15–15–15 in a game.[27]
After tying a career-high 45 points on February 4, 2015 in a 102–91 win over the New Orleans Pelicans,[28] Westbrook broke that mark to score a new career-high of 48 points two days later, this time in a 116–113 loss to the Pelicans.[29] After being injured the previous year, Westbrook returned to the All-Star game in 2015. He tallied 41 points, and was named the All-Star MVP. He scored 27 points in 11 minutes in the first half, setting an All-Star record for points in a half, and finished one point shy of the All-Star game record set by Wilt Chamberlain (42) in 1962.[30] On February 22, Westbrook recorded 21 points and tied a career-high 17 assists in a 119–94 win over the Denver Nuggets.[31] Two days later, he recorded 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 105–92 win over the Indiana Pacers. In doing so he claimed his third triple-double of the season and 11th of his career despite resting for the entire fourth quarter.[32] Onn February 27, in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Westbrook recorded 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists to become the first player to have three straight triple-doubles since LeBron James did so in 2009.[33] Westbrook finished the month of February averaging 31.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game,[34] and became just the second player in NBA history to average 30 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists per game for a calendar month with at least 10 games played, joining Oscar Robertson, who accomplished the feat multiple times.[35]
On March 4, Westbrook set career-highs with 49 points and 16 rebounds, and added 10 assists for his fourth consecutive triple-double, helping the Thunder defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 123–118 in overtime. He subsequently became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1989 to have four consecutive triple-doubles, and the first since Jordan that year to have back-to-back triple-doubles with at least 40 points. It was also the most points by any player with a triple-double since Larry Bird also scored 49 in 1992.[36] His streak came to an end the following night against the Chicago Bulls as he recorded 43 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in a 105–108 loss.[37] On March 8, he recorded his fifth triple-double in six games to help the Thunder defeat the Toronto Raptors, 108–104. He had 30 points, matched a career-high with 17 assists and grabbed 11 rebounds for his seventh triple-double of the season and 15th of his career.[38] In much too similar fashion, Westbrook recorded yet another triple-double on March 13 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, collecting his sixth in eight games and scored 15 of his 29 points (with 12 assists and 10 rebounds) in the fourth quarter, helping the Thunder pull away for a 113–99 win.[39] He went on to record three more triple-doubles to finish the season.[40][41][42] On April 12, he scored a career-high 54 points on 21-of-43 shooting in a losing effort to the Indiana Pacers.[43] He went on to help the Thunder win the final two games of the 2014–15 season, but it wasn't enough to position the Thunder in the playoffs, as they finished ninth in the West with a 45–37 record.
2015–16 season
On October 28, 2015, Westbrook opened the Thunder's 2015–16 season with a game-high 33 points and 10 assists in a 112–106 win over the San Antonio Spurs.[44] Two days later, in a double-overtime win over the Orlando Magic, Westbrook and Kevin Durant became the first pair of teammates to each score at least 40 points in a single game since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen accomplished the feat in 1996. Westbrook had 48 and Durant had 43 as the Thunder defeated the Magic 139–136.[45] On November 10, Westbrook recorded his first triple-double of the season (20th of career) with 22 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in a 125–101 win over the Washington Wizards.[46] Three days later, he recorded his second straight triple-double, recording 21 points, a then career-high 17 rebounds and 11 assists in a 102–85 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.[47] On December 27, in a win over the Denver Nuggets, Westbrook had 30 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, just missing what would have been his fourth triple-double of the season. In that game, Westbrook and Durant became the first teammates to each have at least 25 points and 10 assists in a regulation game since Utah's John Stockton (31 points, 11 assists) and Karl Malone (27 points, 10 assists) on February 2, 1996.[48] On January 4, he was named NBA Western Conference co-Player of the Month for December alongside Durant.[49]
On January 20, 2016, Westbrook recorded 16 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds and five steals against the Charlotte Hornets, becoming just the fourth player in NBA history with at least 15 points, 15 assists, five rebounds and five steals in a game.[50][51] On February 3, he recorded his third straight triple-double and eighth of the season with 24 points, a career-high 19 rebounds and 14 assists in a 117–114 win over the Orland Magic.[52] Westbrook was voted to start in his first All-Star Game in 2016,[53] and he earned his second MVP award after a 196–173 win by the West. He recorded 31 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals in 22 minutes, and became the first player in All-Star history to win consecutive MVPs outright. Bob Pettit is the other player to have won two back-to-back awards, winning in 1958 and sharing it with Elgin Baylor in 1959.[54] On March 9, he recorded his 11th triple-double of the season with 25 points, a career-high 20 assists and 11 rebounds in a 120–108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. The stat line marked the NBA's first triple-double with at least 25 points, 20 assists and 10 rebounds since Magic Johnson did it for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1988, and the first with at least 20 points and 20 assists since Rod Strickland did it for the Washington Wizards in 1998.[55] On March 22, he recorded his 15th triple-double of the season and 34th of his career with 21 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds in a 111–107 win over the Houston Rockets, setting the most triple-doubles by a player in a season since 1988–89, when Magic Johnson had 17 and Michael Jordan had 15. It was also Westbrook's sixth triple-double in March, the most by a player in a calendar month since Jordan had seven in April 1989.[56] On April 11, with his 18th triple-double of the season in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers,[57][58] he tied Magic Johnson (1981–82) for the most in a single season in the past 50 seasons.[59]
In the playoffs, Westbrook helped guide the Thunder past the Dallas Mavericks in the first round, and then the San Antonio Spurs in the second round. The Thunder subsequently advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2012. In the Conference Finals, they faced the defending champion Golden State Warriors, and took home court advantage after stealing Game 1 of the series. With the series tied at 1–1 after Game 2, the Thunder returned home and took a 3–1 advantage with two home wins. In Game 4, Westbrook recorded his fifth career playoff triple-double with 36 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a 118–94 win.[60]
National team career
Westbrook with Team USA in 2012
In 2010, he was on the FIBA World Championship team in Istanbul, Turkey where Team USA won gold for the first time since 1994. Westbrook later played for the 2012 Summer Olympic team in London, where he also won a gold medal.
Player profile
Westbrook is a 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) point guard who has established himself as one of the most athletic players in NBA history. He is also widely known for playing at a high level of intensity and for being able to keep that intensity for the majority of his playing time.[61] Westbrook will often look to push the pace of the game for transition points and attack the basket.[62] Though attacking the rim is his forte, he will frequently pull up for medium range jump shots.[63][64] Westbrook regularly creates good scoring opportunities for his teammates, resulting in him averaging over seven assists per game for his career.[65][66][67] Westbrook is widely recognized as one of the best all-around players in the NBA, having recorded 42 triple-doubles over his career (37 regular season, 5 playoff).[68] His 37 regular season triple-doubles is seventh-most all-time and his five playoff triple-doubles is eighth-most all-time. A weakness cited in Westbrook's game is his three-point shooting. He averages 30% on three-point field goal attempts for his career.[69]
NBA career statistics
Legend
GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
FG% Field goal percentage 3P% 3-point field goal percentage FT% Free throw percentage
RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game
BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high
Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 Oklahoma City 82 65 32.5 .398 .271 .815 4.9 5.3 1.3 .2 15.3
2009–10 Oklahoma City 82 82 34.3 .418 .221 .780 4.9 8.0 1.3 .4 16.1
2010–11 Oklahoma City 82 82 34.7 .442 .330 .842 4.6 8.2 1.9 .4 21.9
2011–12 Oklahoma City 66 66 35.3 .457 .316 .823 4.6 5.5 1.7 .3 23.6
2012–13 Oklahoma City 82 82 34.9 .438 .323 .800 5.2 7.4 1.8 .3 23.2
2013–14 Oklahoma City 46 46 30.7 .437 .318 .826 5.7 6.9 1.9 .2 21.8
2014–15 Oklahoma City 67 67 34.4 .426 .299 .835 7.3 8.6 2.1 .2 28.1
2015–16 Oklahoma City 80 80 34.4 .454 .296 .812 7.8 10.4 2.0 .3 23.5
Career 587 570 34.0 .435 .302 .818 5.6 7.6 1.7 .3 21.5
All-Star 5 1 21.4 .548 .382 .500 5.4 2.6 2.2 .0 23.8
Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010 Oklahoma City 6 6 35.3 .473 .417 .842 6.0 6.0 1.7 .2 20.5
2011 Oklahoma City 17 17 37.5 .394 .292 .852 5.4 6.4 1.4 .4 23.8
2012 Oklahoma City 20 20 38.4 .435 .277 .802 5.5 5.8 1.6 .4 23.1
2013 Oklahoma City 2 2 34.0 .415 .222 .857 6.5 7.0 3.0 .0 24.0
2014 Oklahoma City 19 19 38.7 .420 .280 .884 7.3 8.1 2.2 .3 26.7
Career 64 64 37.8 .421 .286 .851 6.0 6.7 1.8 .3 24.1
Awards and honors
Main article: List of career achievements by Russell Westbrook
NBA
5× NBA All-Star (2011–2013, 2015, 2016)
2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2015, 2016)
4× All-NBA Second Team (2011–2013, 2015)
NBA scoring champion (2015)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2009)
College
2008 All-Pac-10 Third Team[70]
2008 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year[71]
2008 CollegeInsider.com All-Defensive Team
High school
First-team All-CIF Division I
Third-team All-State
2× Most Valuable Player of the Bay League
Endorsements
In October 2012, Westbrook signed with the Jordan Brand.[72] His first commercial was with the Jordan Brand and Champs in which a high school athlete purchased Jordan gear from Champs and transformed into Westbrook and won a state championship.[73]
In November 2013, Westbrook signed with Kings and Jaxs Boxer Briefs. He stated that, "I have always loved fashion so working with Kings & Jaxs was a natural fit as we both have a fearless and creative approach to style."[74]
In February 2015, Westbrook was named Marketing Creative Director of the denim brand True Religion[75] and signed with PepsiCo to become the global face of Mountain Dew Kickstart.[76]
Personal life
Westbrook wears a "KB3" wristband and has "KB3" on his sneakers in honor of his childhood friend Khelcey Barrs.[7][77]
On August 29, 2015, Westbrook married his college sweetheart, Nina Earl.[78]
Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook dribbling vs Cavs (cropped).jpg
Westbrook with the Thunder in January 2015
No. 0 – Oklahoma City Thunder
Position Point guard
League NBA
Personal information
Born November 12, 1988 (age 27)
Long Beach, California
Nationality American
Listed height 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m)
Listed weight 200 lb (91 kg)
Career information
High school Leuzinger (Lawndale, California)
College UCLA (2006–2008)
NBA draft 2008 / Round: 1 / Pick: 4th overall
Selected by the Seattle SuperSonics
Playing career 2008–present
Career history
2008–present Oklahoma City Thunder
Career highlights and awards
5× NBA All-Star (2011–2013, 2015–2016)
2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2015, 2016)
All-NBA First Team (2016)
4× All-NBA Second Team (2011–2013, 2015)
NBA scoring champion (2015)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2009)
Third-team All-Pac-10 (2008)
Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year (2008)
Stats at NBA.com
Medals[hide]
Men's basketball
Representing the United States
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 2012 London Team competition
World Cup
Gold medal – first place 2010 Turkey Team competition
Russell Westbrook Jr. (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the National Basketball Association (NBA). He is a five-time NBA All-Star and a two-time NBA All-Star Game Most Valuable Player (MVP), winning consecutive awards in 2015 and 2016. He is also a four-time All-NBA Second Team member.
Westbrook played college basketball for the UCLA Bruins and earned third-team all-conference honors in the Pac-10. He was selected with the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, who then relocated to Oklahoma City six days later. Westbrook has represented the United States national team twice, winning gold medals in the 2010 FIBA World Championship and the 2012 Olympics.
Contents
1 Early life
2 High school career
3 College career
4 Professional career
4.1 Oklahoma City Thunder (2008–present)
4.1.1 Rookie and first playoffs (2008–10)
4.1.2 All-Star and playoff success (2010–13)
4.1.3 Injury and comeback (2013–15)
4.1.4 2015–16 season
5 National team career
6 Player profile
7 NBA career statistics
7.1 Regular season
7.2 Playoffs
8 Awards and honors
8.1 NBA
8.2 College
8.3 High school
9 Endorsements
10 Personal life
Early life
Westbrook was born in Long Beach, California, to Russell Westbrook Sr. and Shannon Horton. He has a younger brother named Raynard.[1] Growing up in Hawthorne,[2][3][4] Westbrook and his best friend, Khelcey Barrs III, had hopes of going to UCLA and playing together.[5] However, in May 2004, Barrs tragically died from an enlarged heart during a pickup game.[6][7]
High school career
Westbrook entered Leuzinger High School as an unheralded 5-foot-8, 140-pound freshman point guard with size 14 shoes. He didn't start on his school's varsity team until his junior year,[7] and did not receive his first college recruiting letter until the summer before his senior year. Westbrook reached his adult height of 6′3″ that same summer.[8][9]
During his senior year, Westbrook averaged 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.3 assists and led them to a 25-4 record. That same season, he recorded 14 double-doubles, scored 30 or more points on eight separate occasions, and registered a career-best 51 points at Carson on January 6, 2006. Westbrook did not attract much attention from top college basketball programs until Ben Howland offered him a scholarship to play for the UCLA Bruins after Jordan Farmar declared for the NBA draft.
College career
Westbrook playing defense on USC's O. J. Mayo
Westbrook wore number 0 throughout his career at UCLA. In his freshman year, he played as a back up to Darren Collison and was primarily used as a defender and energy player off the bench. Westbrook averaged 3.4 points, 0.8 rebounds and 0.7 assists on the year. The next season after Darren Collison was injured, he was named the starter and finished the season averaging 12.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists and 1.6 steals. At the end of the year, he was named All-Pac-10 Third Team and won the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year.
UCLA advanced to the Final Four during each of Westbrook's seasons with the team. In 2007, they lost to eventual national champion Florida, 76–66 and in 2008, they lost 78–63 to Memphis. After two years at UCLA, he decided to forgo his final two years and enter the 2008 NBA draft.[10]
College Year GP GS SPG BPG RPG APG PPG FG% 3P% FT%
UCLA 2006–07 36 1 .4 .0 .8 .7 3.4 45.7% 40.9% 54.8%
UCLA 2007–08 39 34 1.6 .2 3.9 4.3 12.7 46.5% 33.8% 71.3%
Professional career
Oklahoma City Thunder (2008–present)
Rookie and first playoffs (2008–10)
Westbrook (left) looks at teammate Kevin Durant in the post against Boston in 2010
Westbrook was selected 4th overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics (later known as the Oklahoma City Thunder due to sale of team and relocation). He signed with the team on July 5, 2008.[11] On March 2, 2009 Westbrook recorded his first career triple double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He was the first rookie since Chris Paul and the third rookie in Sonics/Thunder franchise history (Art Harris and Gary Payton) to record a triple-double.[12]
Westbrook averaged 15.3 points, 5.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals on the season. He finished fourth in the 2008–09 NBA Rookie of the Year voting behind Rookie of the Year winner Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls), O. J. Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies) and Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets).[13] He was named to the NBA's All-Rookie First Team.
In his second year, and first season as a full-time starter, Westbrook went on to average 16.1 points, 8.0 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals on the season. On April 4, 2010, he recorded 10 points and a career-high 16 assists in a 116-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Thunder made a huge turnaround by more than doubling their wins from the previous season and qualified for the playoffs with a 50–32 record. However, the Thunder were eliminated by the eventual champion Los Angeles Lakers in the first round. In the series, Westbrook stepped up his play from the regular season, averaging 20.5 points, 6.0 rebounds, 6.0 assists and 3.2 steals.
All-Star and playoff success (2010–13)
Westbrook in March 2011
On November 26, 2010, Westbrook scored a then-career-high 43 points against the Indiana Pacers.[14] On December 1, 2010, he scored 38 points with 9 assists and achieved a new career-high of 15 rebounds in a triple-overtime win over the New Jersey Nets. Westbrook was selected by the NBA head coaches to be a Western Conference reserve for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game.[15] This was his first all-star appearance. Westbrook finished the season with averages of 21.9 points, 8.2 assists, 4.6 rebounds, and 1.9 steals. He was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the first time. The Thunder finished the season at 55–27 and lost to the eventual world champion Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference Finals. Westbrook averaged 23.8 points, 6.4 assists and 5.4 rebounds in the playoffs.
In the 2011-12 season, Westbrook was again selected by the coaches to participate in the 2012 NBA All-Star Game. On March 23, 2012, he scored a career-high 45 points in a 149–140 double overtime win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. He averaged 23.6 points, 5.5 assists, 4.6 rebounds and 1.7 steals for the lockout-shortened season and was voted to the All-NBA Second Team for the second year in a row. Westbrook helped lead the Thunder to the NBA Finals for the first time since the franchise relocated but OKC would lose in five games to the Miami Heat. On June 12, in game 1 of the Finals, Westbrook recorded 27 points and 11 assists in a 105-94 victory. He joined Michael Jordan as the only players with 25+ points and 10+ assists in their NBA Finals debut. In a game 4 loss, Westbrook scored a playoff career high 43 points.[16]
Westbrook was once again selected for the NBA All-Star Game. He finished the 2012–13 season averaging 23.2 points, 7.4 assists, 5.2 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game.[17] Westbrook helped lead the Oklahoma City Thunder to the playoffs and the #1 seed in the Western Conference. They would go on to face the 8th seed Houston Rockets in the first round. On April 25, 2013, in the second game of the series, Westbrook injured his right knee when Rockets guard Patrick Beverley collided with him in an attempt to steal the ball. Although Westbrook was clearly bothered by the injury, he would continue playing and finished the game with 29 points. It was then revealed the next day that he had suffered a slight tear in his right meniscus.[18] He had surgery on April 27, 2013, and was declared out for the rest of the playoffs.[19] Without Westbrook, the Thunder defeated the Rockets in 6 games but fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in 5 games in the next round. Westbrook was named to the All-NBA Second Team for the third consecutive year.
Injury and comeback (2013–15)
Prior to the start of the 2013–14 season, Westbrook had a second surgery on his right knee, which set back his return to basketball.[20] Despite reports that he would miss the first two weeks of the regular season, Westbrook would miss only the first two games. On December 25, 2013, Westbrook recorded 14 points, 13 rebounds, and 10 assists as Oklahoma City beat the New York Knicks 123-94. This was just the eighth triple-double on Christmas Day in NBA history. The win was also the largest margin of victory in a Christmas Day game in NBA history.[21] On the day after his Christmas-day game, it was announced that Westbrook would undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and would be out until after the All-Star break.[22] During this time, The Thunder were able to remain competitive despite his absence due mainly to Kevin Durant's stellar play. Westbrook returned to the lineup on February 20, 2014. He played the rest of the season on limited minutes and sat out the second night of back-to-backs.
On March 4, 2014, Westbrook recorded his second triple-double of the season. He recorded 13 points, 14 assists and 10 rebounds, in just 20 minutes in a 125–92 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers. This was the second fastest recorded triple-double in NBA history.[23] Westbrook and the Thunder finished with a 59-23 record earning the #2 seed in the Western Conference. They advanced to the Western Conference Finals where they faced the San Antonio Spurs. On May 27, 2014, in a game 4 victory, Westbrook recorded 40 points, 5 rebounds, 10 assists and 5 steals. In doing so, he joined Michael Jordan as the only other player to post those numbers in a playoff game. The Thunder lost the series to the eventual NBA champion Spurs in six games. Westbrook averaged 26.7 points, 8.1 assists, and 7.3 rebounds in the postseason, and became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1964 to average at least 26 points, 8 assists, and 7 rebounds in the playoffs.
Westbrook goes up for a layup against Cleveland in 2015
After scoring 38 points in a 106–89 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2014–15 season opener, Westbrook suffered a small fracture of the second metacarpal in his right hand the following game against the Los Angeles Clippers and subsequently missed 14 games with the injury.[24] He joined Kevin Durant on the sidelines after Durant fractured his right foot during preseason and was ruled out for six to eight weeks. With the pair both inactive for the start of the season, the Thunder dropped to a 4–12 record prior to Westbrook's return on November 28 against the New York Knicks. In Westbrook's first game back, he led the Thunder to a win over the Knicks with 32 points. Durant returned the following game to face the New Orleans Pelicans, as the pair helped the Thunder go on a seven-game winning streak to bring the Thunder back into playoff contention.[25] On January 16, 2015, Westbrook recorded his ninth career triple-double with 17 points, 15 rebounds and a career-high 17 assists in a 127–115 win over the Golden State Warriors,[26] becoming just the fifth player in NBA history to record a stat line of 15–15–15 in a game.[27]
After tying a career-high 45 points on February 4, 2015 in a 102–91 win over the New Orleans Pelicans,[28] Westbrook broke that mark to score a new career-high of 48 points two days later, this time in a 116–113 loss to the Pelicans.[29] After being injured the previous year, Westbrook returned to the All-Star game in 2015. He tallied 41 points, and was named the All-Star MVP. He scored 27 points in 11 minutes in the first half, setting an All-Star record for points in a half, and finished one point shy of the All-Star game record set by Wilt Chamberlain (42) in 1962.[30] On February 22, Westbrook recorded 21 points and tied a career-high 17 assists in a 119–94 win over the Denver Nuggets.[31] Two days later, he recorded 20 points, 11 rebounds and 10 assists in a 105–92 win over the Indiana Pacers. In doing so he claimed his third triple-double of the season and 11th of his career despite resting for the entire fourth quarter.[32] Onn February 27, in a loss to the Portland Trail Blazers, Westbrook recorded 40 points, 13 rebounds and 11 assists to become the first player to have three straight triple-doubles since LeBron James did so in 2009.[33] Westbrook finished the month of February averaging 31.2 points, 9.1 rebounds and 10.3 assists per game,[34] and became just the second player in NBA history to average 30 points, 9 rebounds and 10 assists per game for a calendar month with at least 10 games played, joining Oscar Robertson, who accomplished the feat multiple times.[35]
On March 4, Westbrook set career-highs with 49 points and 16 rebounds, and added 10 assists for his fourth consecutive triple-double, helping the Thunder defeat the Philadelphia 76ers 123–118 in overtime. He subsequently became the first player since Michael Jordan in 1989 to have four consecutive triple-doubles, and the first since Jordan that year to have back-to-back triple-doubles with at least 40 points. It was also the most points by any player with a triple-double since Larry Bird also scored 49 in 1992.[36] His streak came to an end the following night against the Chicago Bulls as he recorded 43 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists in a 105–108 loss.[37] On March 8, he recorded his fifth triple-double in six games to help the Thunder defeat the Toronto Raptors, 108–104. He had 30 points, matched a career-high with 17 assists and grabbed 11 rebounds for his seventh triple-double of the season and 15th of his career.[38] In much too similar fashion, Westbrook recorded yet another triple-double on March 13 against the Minnesota Timberwolves, collecting his sixth in eight games and scored 15 of his 29 points (with 12 assists and 10 rebounds) in the fourth quarter, helping the Thunder pull away for a 113–99 win.[39] He went on to record three more triple-doubles to finish the season.[40][41][42] On April 12, he scored a career-high 54 points on 21-of-43 shooting in a losing effort to the Indiana Pacers.[43] He went on to help the Thunder win the final two games of the 2014–15 season, but it wasn't enough to position the Thunder in the playoffs, as they finished ninth in the West with a 45–37 record.
2015–16 season
On October 28, 2015, Westbrook opened the Thunder's 2015–16 season with a game-high 33 points and 10 assists in a 112–106 win over the San Antonio Spurs.[44] Two days later, in a double-overtime win over the Orlando Magic, Westbrook and Kevin Durant became the first pair of teammates to each score at least 40 points in a single game since Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen accomplished the feat in 1996. Westbrook had 48 and Durant had 43 as the Thunder defeated the Magic 139–136.[45] On November 10, Westbrook recorded his first triple-double of the season (20th of career) with 22 points, 11 assists and 11 rebounds in a 125–101 win over the Washington Wizards.[46] Three days later, he recorded his second straight triple-double, recording 21 points, a then career-high 17 rebounds and 11 assists in a 102–85 win over the Philadelphia 76ers.[47] On December 27, in a win over the Denver Nuggets, Westbrook had 30 points, 12 assists and nine rebounds, just missing what would have been his fourth triple-double of the season. In that game, Westbrook and Durant became the first teammates to each have at least 25 points and 10 assists in a regulation game since Utah's John Stockton (31 points, 11 assists) and Karl Malone (27 points, 10 assists) on February 2, 1996.[48] On January 4, he was named NBA Western Conference co-Player of the Month for December alongside Durant.[49]
On January 20, 2016, Westbrook recorded 16 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds and five steals against the Charlotte Hornets, becoming just the fourth player in NBA history with at least 15 points, 15 assists, five rebounds and five steals in a game.[50][51] On February 3, he recorded his third straight triple-double and eighth of the season with 24 points, a career-high 19 rebounds and 14 assists in a 117–114 win over the Orland Magic.[52] Westbrook was voted to start in his first All-Star Game in 2016,[53] and he earned his second MVP award after a 196–173 win by the West. He recorded 31 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and five steals in 22 minutes, and became the first player in All-Star history to win consecutive MVPs outright. Bob Pettit is the other player to have won two back-to-back awards, winning in 1958 and sharing it with Elgin Baylor in 1959.[54] On March 9, he recorded his 11th triple-double of the season with 25 points, a career-high 20 assists and 11 rebounds in a 120–108 win over the Los Angeles Clippers. The stat line marked the NBA's first triple-double with at least 25 points, 20 assists and 10 rebounds since Magic Johnson did it for the Los Angeles Lakers in 1988, and the first with at least 20 points and 20 assists since Rod Strickland did it for the Washington Wizards in 1998.[55] On March 22, he recorded his 15th triple-double of the season and 34th of his career with 21 points, 15 assists and 13 rebounds in a 111–107 win over the Houston Rockets, setting the most triple-doubles by a player in a season since 1988–89, when Magic Johnson had 17 and Michael Jordan had 15. It was also Westbrook's sixth triple-double in March, the most by a player in a calendar month since Jordan had seven in April 1989.[56] On April 11, with his 18th triple-double of the season in a win over the Los Angeles Lakers,[57][58] he tied Magic Johnson (1981–82) for the most in a single season in the past 50 seasons.[59]
In the playoffs, Westbrook helped guide the Thunder past the Dallas Mavericks in the first round, and then the San Antonio Spurs in the second round. The Thunder subsequently advanced to the Western Conference Finals for the first time since 2012. In the Conference Finals, they faced the defending champion Golden State Warriors, and took home court advantage after stealing Game 1 of the series. With the series tied at 1–1 after Game 2, the Thunder returned home and took a 3–1 advantage with two home wins. In Game 4, Westbrook recorded his fifth career playoff triple-double with 36 points, 11 rebounds and 11 assists in a 118–94 win.[60]
National team career
Westbrook with Team USA in 2012
In 2010, he was on the FIBA World Championship team in Istanbul, Turkey where Team USA won gold for the first time since 1994. Westbrook later played for the 2012 Summer Olympic team in London, where he also won a gold medal.
Player profile
Westbrook is a 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) point guard who has established himself as one of the most athletic players in NBA history. He is also widely known for playing at a high level of intensity and for being able to keep that intensity for the majority of his playing time.[61] Westbrook will often look to push the pace of the game for transition points and attack the basket.[62] Though attacking the rim is his forte, he will frequently pull up for medium range jump shots.[63][64] Westbrook regularly creates good scoring opportunities for his teammates, resulting in him averaging over seven assists per game for his career.[65][66][67] Westbrook is widely recognized as one of the best all-around players in the NBA, having recorded 42 triple-doubles over his career (37 regular season, 5 playoff).[68] His 37 regular season triple-doubles is seventh-most all-time and his five playoff triple-doubles is eighth-most all-time. A weakness cited in Westbrook's game is his three-point shooting. He averages 30% on three-point field goal attempts for his career.[69]
NBA career statistics
Legend
GP Games played GS Games started MPG Minutes per game
FG% Field goal percentage 3P% 3-point field goal percentage FT% Free throw percentage
RPG Rebounds per game APG Assists per game SPG Steals per game
BPG Blocks per game PPG Points per game Bold Career high
Regular season
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2008–09 Oklahoma City 82 65 32.5 .398 .271 .815 4.9 5.3 1.3 .2 15.3
2009–10 Oklahoma City 82 82 34.3 .418 .221 .780 4.9 8.0 1.3 .4 16.1
2010–11 Oklahoma City 82 82 34.7 .442 .330 .842 4.6 8.2 1.9 .4 21.9
2011–12 Oklahoma City 66 66 35.3 .457 .316 .823 4.6 5.5 1.7 .3 23.6
2012–13 Oklahoma City 82 82 34.9 .438 .323 .800 5.2 7.4 1.8 .3 23.2
2013–14 Oklahoma City 46 46 30.7 .437 .318 .826 5.7 6.9 1.9 .2 21.8
2014–15 Oklahoma City 67 67 34.4 .426 .299 .835 7.3 8.6 2.1 .2 28.1
2015–16 Oklahoma City 80 80 34.4 .454 .296 .812 7.8 10.4 2.0 .3 23.5
Career 587 570 34.0 .435 .302 .818 5.6 7.6 1.7 .3 21.5
All-Star 5 1 21.4 .548 .382 .500 5.4 2.6 2.2 .0 23.8
Playoffs
Year Team GP GS MPG FG% 3P% FT% RPG APG SPG BPG PPG
2010 Oklahoma City 6 6 35.3 .473 .417 .842 6.0 6.0 1.7 .2 20.5
2011 Oklahoma City 17 17 37.5 .394 .292 .852 5.4 6.4 1.4 .4 23.8
2012 Oklahoma City 20 20 38.4 .435 .277 .802 5.5 5.8 1.6 .4 23.1
2013 Oklahoma City 2 2 34.0 .415 .222 .857 6.5 7.0 3.0 .0 24.0
2014 Oklahoma City 19 19 38.7 .420 .280 .884 7.3 8.1 2.2 .3 26.7
Career 64 64 37.8 .421 .286 .851 6.0 6.7 1.8 .3 24.1
Awards and honors
Main article: List of career achievements by Russell Westbrook
NBA
5× NBA All-Star (2011–2013, 2015, 2016)
2× NBA All-Star Game MVP (2015, 2016)
4× All-NBA Second Team (2011–2013, 2015)
NBA scoring champion (2015)
NBA All-Rookie First Team (2009)
College
2008 All-Pac-10 Third Team[70]
2008 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year[71]
2008 CollegeInsider.com All-Defensive Team
High school
First-team All-CIF Division I
Third-team All-State
2× Most Valuable Player of the Bay League
Endorsements
In October 2012, Westbrook signed with the Jordan Brand.[72] His first commercial was with the Jordan Brand and Champs in which a high school athlete purchased Jordan gear from Champs and transformed into Westbrook and won a state championship.[73]
In November 2013, Westbrook signed with Kings and Jaxs Boxer Briefs. He stated that, "I have always loved fashion so working with Kings & Jaxs was a natural fit as we both have a fearless and creative approach to style."[74]
In February 2015, Westbrook was named Marketing Creative Director of the denim brand True Religion[75] and signed with PepsiCo to become the global face of Mountain Dew Kickstart.[76]
Personal life
Westbrook wears a "KB3" wristband and has "KB3" on his sneakers in honor of his childhood friend Khelcey Barrs.[7][77]
On August 29, 2015, Westbrook married his college sweetheart, Nina Earl.[78]
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