The face of the Oklahoma City Thunder, Russell Westbrook, is pure, unbridled passion for the game of basketball and the NBA is that much better for it. The 6-foot-3 point guard is one of the league’s most popular players but some of his fans may not know him as much as they should.
In his 11 years in the league (and counting), he has amassed numerous awards and reached several milestones that other players can only dream about. Westbrook’s rise to prominence is nothing short of phenomenal and it has brought him acclaim both on and off the court.
If you want to know more about the Thunder’s floor leader and the unquestioned greatest player in franchise history, let’s take a look at 10 things that you (probably) didn’t know about Russell Westbrook.
10. Westbrook has been in the top 10 in rebounds the past two years
Aside from averaging a triple-double for two consecutive years (something you already know), Westbrook has been the 10th best rebounder in the league during these years as well, averaging 10.7 and 10.1 during the 2016-17 and 2017-18 seasons, respectively.
He has been so good at grabbing missed shots the past couple of years that he has out-rebounded bigger players such as Giannis Antetokounmpo, Kevin Love, LeBron James, Marc Gasol, Nikola Jokic, Kevin Durant, and LaMarcus Aldridge. And these guys are at least five inches taller than he is!
9. Westbrook bested Oscar Robertson’s Triple-Double Season
During the 2016-17 season in which Brodie equaled Oscar Robertson by averaging a triple-double for an entire year, the Thunder point guard accomplished something that the Big O never did: Westbrook won that season’s Most Valuable Player Award, the first of his career.
According to Victor Mather of The New York Times, Robertson’s triple-double feat in the 1961-62 season netted him only third place in the MVP balloting right behind Bill Russell and Wilt Chamberlain. That’s most likely because the triple-double wasn’t considered a huge accomplishment then as it is now. Still, Westbrook has a leg up on the legendary guard by winning the highly-coveted individual award in the same year that he achieved a triple-double season.
8. Westbrook is ambidextrous
Most players can shoot with either hand but very few are genuinely ambidextrous. He shoots with his right hand but he writes and favors his left hand on everything else.
Similar to the Los Angeles Lakers' LeBron James, who’s also a lefty off the court, the UCLA alum gravitated toward shooting with his right hand when playing hoops for some reason. That’s why he can shoot the ball with either hand quite naturally and he even dunks with his left hand with ferocity just as well.
7. His favorite player growing up
Though players normally pattern their game after their idols, Westbrook’s game is anything but a replica of his favorite player, Lakers' star Magic Johnson.
As a native of California, it’s only natural that kids would gravitate toward the best players in the area. Since Johnson and the Lakers were among the elite for so long and created a mystique around the franchise for several years, it’s not surprising that Westbrook looked up to the Magic Man the most.
Despite the difference in playing styles, the 6-foot-3 dynamo is similar to Johnson as the leading assist man on his team. In fact, just like his idol, Westbrook has led the league in assists (that was just last season) and is on pace to do so again this year.
6. Late to the party as a dunker
When one thinks of Westbrook, images of him speeding down the lane for an emphatic dunk come to mind quickly. He is one of the league’s most powerful and ferocious dunkers despite his height. It’s hard to imagine a time when he wasn’t able to throw down a basketball at all.
However, unbelievable as it may seem, Russ never slammed the ball on a regular hoop until he was 17 and that wasn’t until his last game in high school as a senior. Here’s his take on how that happened according to Alonzo Warond of Fadeaway World:
“To be honest,” Westbrook explained. “I was never really jumping that high when I was younger. I had to work on it. I didn’t dunk for the first time until the last game of my senior year in high school. I didn’t really start dunking regularly until college. I just work on my legs and my core: Running the stairs, squats, working my hamstrings and quads. Then just sit-ups for my core.”
As for what it was like to dunk for the first time?
“We were playing against a rival school of ours, packed house, you know. I got a steal and didn’t think I was going to make it actually. I just went up and jumped as high as I could. I was REALLY excited—I knew it would give our team momentum and get us going. The most important thing was that we won the game.”
5. Why he wears No. 0
There have been lots of other players from different sports who have worn No. 0 and each one has a different reason for wearing the number. In Westbrook’s own words, via Maddy Lucier of Stack.com, “it's not a normal number….you go with the zero when you’ve been through something and you are looking to get a new beginning. It helps you get going again. It helps you get the swag back.”
Simply put, the number humbles the seven-time All-Star and motivates him to move forward regardless of the circumstances. After his fellow superstars James Harden and Kevin Durant left for different teams, Westbrook could have been devastated by their departures, especially when the latter left for their nemesis, the Golden State Warriors. Instead, he won his first MVP award in his first season without either of them and he continues to carry his team on his shoulders to this day.
4. Westbrook signed a 10-year contract extension for Jordan Brand
Speaking of his 2016-17 MVP season, Brodie eventually became the face of the new generation of players for the Jordan Brand before the 2017-18 season started.
Players know that when they sign with the shoe company, Michael Jordan’s massive shadow will loom over their shoulders. That’s why none of the stars before Westbrook received their own signature shoe.
That all changed when he signed a 10-year contract extension with Jordan Brand. Having achieved an NBA-record 42 triple-doubles in a single season clinched it for him, no doubt. With the Maurice Podoloff Trophy securely in his hands, the Jordan Brand extension was definitely a sweet topping on his record-breaking season. His Airness acknowledged the accomplishments, sending the future Hall of Famer a congratulatory note saying, “Congrats, Russell. I got my first MVP award before my first ring, too… Keep going!”
A special message from the 🐐 to the new MVP. 💯 pic.twitter.com/LfpSl7Fo3s
— Foot Locker (@footlocker) June 27, 2017
With the Jordan Brand deal in place, Westbrook now has significant input on how his shoes should look like. That’s a first for any Jordan athlete! A historic shoe deal indeed!
3. Westbrook writes “KB3” on his shoes every game
One of the most enduring qualities that Russ has is his loyalty. Signing an extension with the Oklahoma City Thunder, aside from the aforementioned Jordan Brand deal, illustrates this. But he is just as loyal to friends and is especially faithful to one in particular who passed away during his younger days.
Westbrook’s high school friend, Khelcey Bars III, died at the very young age of 16 while playing a pickup game back in 2004. The two were very close friends and they had dreams of playing alongside each other at UCLA, according to ESPN's Nick DePaula. Back then, people would say that Bars was their high school team’s best player.
The 30-year old guard honors his friend by scribbling “KB3” on his shoes every game. But in one of his signature shoes, the WhyNot Zer0.1, “KB3” is already etched onto the tongue in Westbrook’s handwriting as a tribute to Barrs.
https://www.facebook.com/jumpman23/photos/pcb.1857084407677449/1857084337677456/?type=3&theater
Additionally, Russ also wears a personalized “RIP KB3” wristband to honor his fallen comrade.
2. Westbrook’s many nicknames
“Russ” is the easiest nickname of all but Westbrook has some of the coolest nicknames in the league. Or probably the corniest depending on who you ask.
He calls himself “Brodie,” though it’s actually the name of his Maltese dog. Here’s a few of his other nicknames as noted by the Thunderous Intentions’ Tamberlyn Richardson: the Little Fury, Little Rage, Westbeast, Bestbrook, and Beastbrook.
However, the one nickname which Westbrook seems to appreciate the most is the “Westwolf.” The moniker came from a Jordan Brand commercial and it has some real possibilities.
With the “Westwolf,” Westbrook seems to have found a nickname that he truly likes, as evidenced by a jacket that he wore early this year.
Russell Westbrook just walked by me with a jacket on that says “WESTWOLF” on the back.
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) January 16, 2018
Russell Westbrook finally posted a picture of his “WESTWOLF” jacket. pic.twitter.com/magwma2El3
— Royce Young (@royceyoung) January 21, 2018
1. Westbrook was the last lottery pick of the Seattle Supersonics
For those young enough not to know, the Thunder were originally from Seattle and were called the Supersonics. In the 2008 NBA Draft, the Sonics selected Westbrook with the fourth overall pick, making him their very last lottery selection before they moved to Oklahoma City.
The players chosen ahead of him were Derrick Rose, Michael Beasley, and O.J. Mayo. Immediately after him were Kevin Love, Danilo Gallinari, Eric Gordon, Joe Alexander, D.J. Augustin, Brook Lopez, Jerryd Bayless, Jason Thompson, and Brandon Rush.
In hindsight, Westbrook should have been taken number one overall, although Rose did make a case for himself as the top pick as he earned the 2008-09 Rookie of the Year honor along the way. In time, Westbrook would establish himself as the best player of his draft class and a steal at the fourth spot in the draft.
Seattle clearly made their final pick one of the best decisions in franchise history and now OKC is reaping the benefits of that decision.
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