Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook Biography Details, Age, Net Worth, and Basketball Career

Russell Westbrook is an American basketball player who currently plays point guard for the Houston Rockets. He’s regarded as one of the best point guards of his generation and could end up being one of the best at his position in NBA history. Westbrook plays with incredible amounts of energy, effort, and intensity, all of which become contagious for his teammates. There are few if any weaknesses in his game, as Westbrook excels as a scorer, passer, defender, and even rebounder. He is one of two players in NBA history to record a triple-double against all 30 NBA franchises. He is also one of two players in NBA history to average a triple-double over the course of a full season.

Westbrook was born on November 12, 1988, in Long Beach, California. He played two seasons at UCLA before going pro and becoming the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Westbrook was officially selected by the Seattle SuperSonics, who promptly relocated and became the Oklahoma City Thunder. He made an instant impact for the Thunder, earning First-Team All-Rookie honors. Since then, Westbrook has been named an all-star nine times and earned countless other accolades, including league MVP honors in 2017 when he averaged a triple-double. His accomplishments helped earn him the largest guaranteed contract in NBA history.

While playing alongside other stars like Kevin Durant and James Harden, Westbrook was an influential figure in making Oklahoma City one of the premier teams in the Western Conference throughout the 2010s despite the Thunder never winning an NBA championship. In the summer of 2019, Westbrook was part of a blockbuster trade that sent him to the Houston Rockets in exchange for Chris Paul. In the midst of his NBA career, Westbrook also represented the United States at the 2012 Olympics, helping the Americans win gold.

Russell Westbrook Basketball Career

High School Career

When he began his high school career, Russell Westbrook was just 5-foot-8’ and 140 pounds, putting him at a distinct disadvantage. However, he had size 14 shoes, indicating that a growth spurt was inevitable. That growth spurt finally came the summer before his senior year when he grew to 6-foot-3’ and started receiving attention from colleges.

As a senior, Westbrook averaged 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals, and 2.3 assists, helping his team to a 25-4 record. Despite the impressive numbers, Westbrook’s interest from high-major programs was limited. However, when Jordan Farmar left UCLA early, he was offered a scholarship by the hometown Bruins. Going to UCLA allowed Westbrook to fulfill a childhood dream he shared with his best friend Khelcey Barrs, who passed away from a heart ailment in 2004 while playing basketball.

College Career

During his freshman season at UCLA, Westbrook served as the backup for starting point guard Darren Collison. Despite averaging just 3.4 points per game, Westbrook provided the Bruins with a strong defensive player coming off the bench. 

When Collison was injured the following year, Westbrook got a chance to move into the starting lineup. He went on to average 12.7 points, 3.9 rebounds, 4.7 assists, and 1.6 steals per game during his sophomore season earning him Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and All-Pac 10 Third Team honors. More importantly, Westbrook helped the Bruins reach the Final Four, giving him plenty of exposure in front of pro scouts and enticing him to forego his last two years of eligibility and enter the NBA Draft.

NBA Career

The Seattle SuperSonics made Westbrook the fourth overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft. However, the team relocated before the start of the 2006-07 season, meaning Westbrook made his NBA debut as a member of the Oklahoma City Thunder. He didn’t take long for Westbrook to move into the starting lineup, starting 65 of Oklahoma City’s 82 games that season. In March, Westbrook recorded the first of many triple-doubles in his career. He finished his rookie season averaging 15.3 points, 5.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals on the season, which was good enough to finish fourth in Rookie of the Year voting and make the NBA All-Rookie First-Team.

After a promising rookie campaign, Westbrook’s star only continued to rise. In his third season, he averaged over 20 points per game for the first time, a feat he would repeat in every subsequent season. That was also the first of many all-star selections for Westbrook. He wouldn’t suffer a setback in his career until undergoing multiple knee surgeries that held him out for the early part of the 2013-14 season. Westbrook also missed time due to injury during the 2014-15 season. However, he was able to come back strong and ended up leading the NBA in scoring for the first time with 28.1 points per game.

Two years later during the 2016-17 season, Westbrook led the NBA in scoring for the second time, averaging 31.6 points per game. In fact, Westbrook also averaged 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists per game that season, becoming the second player in NBA history after Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double in a season. That accomplishment also made Westbrook an easy choice for league MVP that year. After the season, Westbrook signed an extension with the Thunder that gave him the biggest guaranteed contract in NBA history.

Westbrook went on to average a triple-double during the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons as well. He also led the league in assists both seasons. However, the 2018-19 season would end up being Westbrook’s last in Oklahoma City. During the summer of 2019, the Thunder traded Westbrook to the Houston Rockets in a trade that involved Chris Paul going to Oklahoma City. The trade reunited Westbrook with former Oklahoma City teammate James Harden.

Russell Westbrook Net Worth, Salary, Endorsements & Career Earnings

As of 2020, Russell Westbrook has a net worth of around $150 million. Since being drafted in 2006, he has signed multiple contracts, including the extension in 2017 that guaranteed him over $200 million. Of course, his career earnings have already surpassed $200 million. Starting with the 2020-21 season, his annual salary will jump over the $40 million threshold, which should cause his net worth to increase even more. 

Westbrook has also been involved in several lucrative endorsement deals. In 2012, he signed with Jordan Brand and later signed a 10-year extension in 2017 that was the largest endorsement deal in the brand’s history. Westbrook also signed a deal with PepsiCo in 2015 to become the face of Mountain Dew Kickstart. He also has endorsement deals with a handful of fashion and apparel companies.

Russell Westbrook signed a four-year, $15.8 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2008.

Russell Westbrook signed a five-year, $80 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2012.

Russell Westbrook signed a three-year, $85.7 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2016.

Russell Westbrook signed a five-year, $205 million deal with the Oklahoma City Thunder in 2017.

Russell Westbrook Personal Life

Russell Westbrook was born in Long Beach, California, and grew up in Hawthorne, California. His father, Russell Westbrook Jr., was an avid basketball fan and inspired his son’s love for the game. Borth his father and mother, Shannon Horton, encouraged Russell and his younger brother, Raynard, to take their schoolwork seriously with Russell being an honor student in high school.

In 2015, Russell Westbrook married Nina Earl. The two met in college with Earl playing on the women’s basketball team at UCLA. Earl earned a Bachelor’s in psychology and a Master’s in marriage and family therapy from UCLA. She runs a boutique that focuses on merchandise for mothers and children.

In May 2017, the couple welcomed their first child, a son named Noah Russell Westbrook. In November 2018, Earl gave birth to twin girls, Skye and Jordyn.

Russell Westbrook Quotes

• “I've always had to prove myself to people growing up. I had to show them that I could do this and I could do that and paying no mind to what the critics said.”
• “Every day when I get on the floor I give it my all and play because you never know what tomorrow holds.”
• “There's no reason to hold yourself back and say you can't do something in life unless you go for it and try to do it.”
• “I'm never satisfied. I'm always trying to get better and learn from my mistakes.”
• “My friends and I started that motto early in high school - that attitude, that mentality - from way back then: Want to go to Stanford? Why not? Want to play in the NBA? Why not?”

Russell Westbrook Fun Facts

• Russell Westbrook admits to having a closet with over 700 pairs of shoes.
• Russell Westbrook plays with a wristband that reads KB3 and writes the same on his shoes in honor of his childhood friend Khelcey Barrs III, who died of an enlarged heart while playing basketball in high school.
• As a lover of fashion, Russell Westbrook wears a different outfit before every game. He then gives the outfit away.
• Most fans don’t recognize that Russell Westbrook is left handed. He writes, brushes his teeth, and even throws a football with his left hand but shoots a basketball right-handed.
• Russell Westbrook was offered an academic scholarship by Stanford, although tuition would have still been too costly for him to attend.
• Russell Westbrook is known to show up to soccer games, dance recitals, and piano recitals of the children whose parents work on his team’s support staff. 
• Russell Westbrook eats a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before every game. He also loves chocolate chip pecan cookies.
• In 2015, Russell Westbrook claimed that he’s never shaved in his life.
• Russell Westbrook says he often listens to Taylor Swift and Katy Perry before games.