At only 25 years of age, Russell Westbrook is one of the NBA’s elite, young point guards. Already into his sixth year as a pro, Westbrook has accumulated many awards and honors. He also forms one of the most dynamic duos in the NBA with Kevin Durant. Westbrook has been known for his ability to get to the rim as well as his on ball defense, however; he is also a terrific athlete capable of knocking down shots and finding open teammates. With one NBA Finals appearance under his belt and many playoff victories, Westbrook appears to have a bright future ahead of him.
Early Life
Born on November 12, 1988 to Russell Westbrook and Shannon Horton, Westbrook is the older of two siblings. Westbrook was born in Long Beach, California and began good friends with Khelcey Barrs. Barrs was an extremely gifted basketball player who tragically died due to a heart condition after a late night basketball game.
Enter high school; Westbrook was a small freshman point guard for Leuzinger High School. In his freshman year he stood only 5’8” and weighed in at 140 pounds. Westbrook earned his chance to start in his junior year. For his junior year he averaged 12 points, five rebounds, two assists, and two steals per game. He received his first college scholarship offer after his junior year. In his senior year Westbrook exploded onto the scene averaging 25 points, nine rebounds, two assists, and three steals per game. He led his team to a 25-4 record but fell in the playoff quarterfinals. Despite his success, Westbrook was not highly rated as a recruit and was ranked as a three star prospect.
The first major scholarship Westbrook was offered was from the UCLA Bruins. He committed to the Bruins on April 19, 2006.
College Career
In his first year for the Bruins, Westbrook served as the backup to current NBA player Darren Collison. Due to Westbrook’s poor shooting and passing skills he rarely played. In his freshman season Westbrook averaged three points, 0.7 assists, and 0.8 rebounds per game. The Bruins advanced all the way to the Final Four of the NCAA Tournament where they lost to the Florida Gators.
In his sophomore season Westbrook became the starter for the Bruins. Both his shooting and passing skills improved, something that helped him greatly his second year. He was also joined by a very talented freshman by the name of Kevin Love. Together, they led the Bruins to another Final Four appearance; only to lose to the Derrick Rose led University of Memphis. Westbrook finished the season with averages of 12 points, four assists, and four rebounds per game. This production earned him All-Pac-10 Third Team honors. He was also named the Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year. Westbrook chose to forgo his final two years of eligibility and enter the 2008 NBA Draft.
NBA Career
On June 26, 2008 Russell Westbrook was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics, soon to be the Oklahoma City Thunder. He was selected with the fourth overall pick, one higher than fellow teammate Kevin Love. This also created the pairing of Westbrook and Durant, who had been drafted second overall by the Sonics the year before. The Sonics also selected Serge Ibaka with the 24th overall pick the same year.
In his first year in the league Westbrook struggled at times. He started a majority of the season and earned significant minutes. He finished with averages of 15 points, five assists, and five rebounds per game. He only shot 39 percent from the field and 27 percent for behind the arc. The Thunder struggled mightily in Westbrook’s first season in the NBA. They started 3-29 but were able to finish the season with a record of 23-59. This poor performance allowed the Thunder to select James Harden with the third overall pick in the NBA Draft.
In his second year in the NBA Westbrook improved tremendously. While his scoring remained the same, his shooting percentage and assist numbers improved dramatically. The Thunder also saw great improvement, as they finished the season with a record of 50-32. This finish earned them the eighth seed in the West. The Thunder then fell to the defending champions, Los Angeles Lakers. In his third season Westbrook continued to improve his game. He increased his averages to 22 points, eight assists and four rebounds per game. His performance earned him an All-Star nomination. The Thunder improved with a record of 55-27, earning them the fourth seed. The Thunder were able to advance all the way to the Conference Finals until they eventually lost to the Dallas Mavericks.
In his fourth season Westbrook continued to improve. His shooting percentage reached a career high as well as his scoring as a whole. He finished the season averaging 23 points per game. The Thunder once again improved and finished with a record of 47-19. They earned the second seed in the West and advanced all the way to the NBA Finals. In a matchup of Kevin Durant and LeBron James, the Thunder were able to win the first game of the series. Unfortunately, they lost the next four games, losing the series.
Entering his fourth year in the league, Westbrook was just beginning to enter the prime of his career. When the Thunder traded James Harden to the Houston Rockets, it required Westbrook to improve his play. Westbrook finished the season with averages of 23 points, seven assists, and five rebounds per game. He was also named to his third consecutive All-Star appearance. After securing the number one seed in the West, the Thunder took on James Harden and the Houston Rockets in the first round. In the second game of the series Westbrook collided with Patrick Beverley, causing him to begin limping. He was able to finish the game, but it was revealed that he had partially torn his meniscus. He would miss the rest of the playoffs. The Thunder eventually fell to the Memphis Grizzlies in the semi-finals.
In the offseason before his sixth year, Westbrook had a second surgery on his knee, setting back his return. Surprisingly, Westbrook only missed the first two games of the season. Once he returned he slowly came back to his old self. He underwent another surgery on December 27, 2013 which would keep him out for another month and a half. To date, Westbrook is averaging 21 points, seven assists, and six rebounds per game.