Russell Westbrook

Early life

Russell Westbrook III was born in Long Beach, California, to Russell Westbrook Jr. and Shannon Horton. He has a younger brother named Raynard. Growing up in Hawthorne, Westbrook and his best friend Khelcey Barrs III had hopes of going to UCLA and playing together. At age 16, Barrs was already known to have excellent basketball skills and received college scholarship offers. In May 2004, Barrs died from an enlarged heart during a pick-up game. After Barrs' death, Westbrook seemed even more determined to excel in honor of his best friend's memory. Westbrook never fails to wear a "KB3" wristband in loving memory of his best friend.

High school career

Westbrook entered Leuzinger High School as a point guard who stood only 5 ft 8 in (1.73 m) tall and weighed only 140 pounds (64 kg), although he did have large (size 14) feet. He did not start on his school's varsity team until his junior year, and did not receive his first college recruiting letter until the summer before his senior year. Westbrook attained his adult height of 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) that same summer.

During his senior year, Westbrook averaged 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals, and 2.3 assists and helped lead them to a 25–4 record. That same season, he recorded 14 double-doubles, scored 30 or more points on eight occasions, and registered a career-best 51 points at Carson on January 6, 2006. Westbrook initially did not attract much attention from top college basketball programs. After his height increased, contributing to him averaging more than 25 points per game and becoming a solid college basketball prospect, coach Ben Howland recruited him to play for the UCLA Bruins. Westbrook declined other offers while waiting for the Bruins' Jordan Farmar to leave early for the NBA and free up a scholarship.

College career

Upon arriving at the University of California, Los Angeles, Westbrook's high school jersey number 4 was already taken by Arron Afflalo, so Westbrook wore number 0 throughout his time with the Bruins. As a freshman in 2006–07, he played as a backup 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. During the off-season, he trained extensively, both in the weight room and in the gym, where he faced NBA veterans who visited Los Angeles. The next season, Collison was injured and Westbrook was named the starter. He 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 third-team All-Pac-10 and was voted 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 with the Bruins, Westbrook decided to forgo his final two years of eligibility and enter the 2008 NBA draft. He stayed in school and finished the quarter, a rarity for high draft picks declaring early for the draft.

Professional career

Oklahoma City Thunder (2008–2019)

Westbrook was selected fourth overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, which then relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder six days later. He signed with the team on July 5, 2008. Westbrook was again unable to wear his old number 4 jersey, as Nick Collison was already wearing it, so instead he wore 0 again. He would not wear the number 4 jersey until the 2023–24 season. 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.

Westbrook averaged 15.3 points, 5.3 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game in his rookie season. He finished fourth in the 2008–09 NBA Rookie of the Year voting and was named to the NBA's NBA All-Rookie First Team.

In his second season, and his first season as a full-time starter, Westbrook averaged 16.1 points, 8.0 assists, 4.9 rebounds, and 1.3 steals per game. 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. 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.

On November 26, 2010, Westbrook scored a then-career-high 43 points against the Indiana Pacers. Westbrook was selected by NBA head coaches to be a Western Conference reserve for the 2011 NBA All-Star Game. 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.

Due to the lockout, the 2011–12 season would start on Christmas Day. On January 9, 2012, Westbrook would sign a 5-year, $80 million extension to keep him in Oklahoma City through the 2016–17 season. On February 9, 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.

Houston Rockets (2019–2020)

On July 16, 2019, Westbrook was traded to the Houston Rockets for All-Star Chris Paul, two protected first-round picks, and two first-round pick swaps. The move reunited Westbrook with former Thunder teammate James Harden; the two players both expressed mutual interest and enthusiasm in playing together at this stage in their careers. Harden spent his first three seasons in the league (2009–2012) on the Thunder with Westbrook. They had played together in the 2012 NBA Finals.

Westbrook made his Rockets debut in a 117–111 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks on October 24, 2019, leading the team with 24 points, 16 rebounds and seven assists in 33 minutes of play. In Westbrook's second game as a Rocket on October 26, 2019, he became second all time in career triple-doubles, passing Magic Johnson with a 28-point, 13-assist and 10-rebound performance in a 126–123 win against the New Orleans Pelicans.

On January 9, 2020, Westbrook made his return to Oklahoma City for the first time as a visitor, scoring 34 points, grabbing 2 rebounds, and passing for 5 assists on 14-of-26 shooting from the field in a 113–92 loss. With his triple-double against Oklahoma City on January 20, he joined LeBron James as the only two players to have logged triple-doubles against all 30 NBA teams.

The suspension of the 2019–20 NBA season began in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States. In July, Westbrook tested positive for COVID-19. He recovered and rejoined the team later that month in Orlando, Florida, for the league's restart. In the third game following his return, Westbrook strained his right quad and missed four of the five remaining regular season games. In the playoffs, he missed the first four games of the opening series against Oklahoma City. He helped Houston advance to the semifinals, where they were eliminated 4–1 by the Lakers. In his eight playoff games, Westbrook averaged 17.9 points, 7.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game, the lowest averages of his postseason career.

Washington Wizards (2020–2021)

On December 2, 2020, amidst rumors that he and Harden were unhappy and wanted out from the Rockets, Westbrook was traded to the Washington Wizards for John Wall and a 2023 lottery-protected first-round draft pick.

Westbrook was not selected to the 2021 NBA All-Star Game, missing the event for the first time since 2014. On March 29, 2021, he recorded 35 points, 14 rebounds and a then-season-high 21 assists in a 132–124 win over the Indiana Pacers, becoming the first player since Magic Johnson in 1988 to post a 30–10–20 triple-double. His 16th triple-double in just his 38th game with Washington broke Darrell Walker's franchise record for career triple-doubles, which had stood for 30 years.

On May 4, Westbrook recorded 14 points, a career-high 21 rebounds and a then-season-high 24 assists in a 154–141 win over the Pacers. On May 10, he posted 28 points, 13 rebounds and 21 assists in a 125–124 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, recording his 182nd career triple-double and surpassing Oscar Robertson for the most triple-doubles in NBA history.

Westbrook finished the regular season averaging 22.2 points, a career-high 11.5 rebounds and a league-leading, career-high 11.7 assists per game, earning his third NBA assist title and averaging a triple-double for the fourth time in five seasons. Alongside Westbrook, backcourt teammate Bradley Beal averaged a career-high 31.3 points per game, finishing second in the scoring race to Stephen Curry.

After losing to the Boston Celtics in the play-in tournament for the Eastern Conference's seventh seed, Westbrook and Beal led the Wizards to a 142–115 victory over the Pacers to secure the conference's eighth seed and Washington's first playoff appearance since 2018. The Wizards were eliminated by the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in five games during the first round of the 2021 NBA playoffs.

Los Angeles Lakers (2021–2023)

On August 6, 2021, Westbrook was traded to the Los Angeles Lakers for Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Kuzma, Montrezl Harrell and the draft rights to Isaiah Jackson. This was the third time Westbrook was traded, and the Lakers became his fourth team in three years. On October 19, Westbrook made his Lakers debut, putting up eight points on 4-of-12 shooting from the field, five rebounds and three assists in a 121–114 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

As his first season with the Lakers progressed, Westbrook received criticism for his perceived poor quality of play. Westbrook was criticized following a 4-for-20 shooting performance in a 122–115 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Christmas Day. The Lakers had a 21–20 record at the halfway point of the regular season, and Westbrook was often a recipient of the blame for the team's struggles relative to its 2020 championship season. Westbrook shot 30 percent from the three-point line and turned the ball over 4.6 times per game through early January, and he received criticism for a particular game against the Minnesota Timberwolves where he turned the ball over nine times. Westbrook later responded to critics, saying that they were only looking at the stat sheet and not his overall play on the court.

On January 4, 2022, in a 122–114 win over the Sacramento Kings, Westbrook had his first game without turnovers since March 14, 2016. On January 19, he was benched by Lakers head coach Frank Vogel in the final four minutes of a home loss against the Indiana Pacers.

On April 5, 2022, the Lakers were defeated, 121–110, by the Phoenix Suns. This defeat eliminated the team from obtaining a playoff berth. The 2021–22 season was the third season in Westbrook's career (and the first since 2015) in which he missed the playoffs. Vogel was fired after the season. Following Vogel's firing, Westbrook said, "I'm not sure what his issue was with me." The coach had kept him in the starting lineup all season despite pressure to bring him off the bench. Westbrook attended new head coach Darvin Ham's introductory press conference, where the coach said "Russell Westbrook is one of the best players our league has ever seen, and there's still a ton left in the tank." He said a common theme of their meetings was "sacrifice". Westbrook opted in to the final year of his contract for 2022–23, valued at $47 million.

After severing ties with agent Thad Foucher of Wasserman in July 2022, Westbrook signed Jeff Schwartz of Excel Sports as his agent on August 1, 2022. During the off-season, the Lakers acquired point guards Patrick Beverley and Dennis Schröder. On October 28, Westbrook came off the bench for the first time since his rookie season and chipped in with 18 points and eight rebounds in a 111–102 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves. On November 2, 2022, CBS Sports reported that Westbrook had described his new role coming off the bench as "'beneficial for everybody'". On November 12, the Lakers' record was 2–10 and they stood in last place in the Western Conference. Claire de Lune of The Guardian provided the following November 16 analysis of Westbrook's fit with the Lakers: Like many relationships, the Lakers and Westbrook felt doomed from the start. Sure, when Westbrook arrived in Los Angeles, which happens to be his home town, for training camp in September of last year, the veteran point guard was coming off of an impressive season with the Washington Wizards. But the fit issues with the existing roster, especially James and Davis, were already glaring. Westbrook has never been known for his shooting accuracy, and is notorious for playing best in situations where he can be the ball-dominant scorer and orchestrator of the offense. He’s also never been outstanding defensively. After 20 seasons of watching James in the NBA, one formula has remained battle-tested and proven: surround him with shooters to space the floor, a few enthusiastic and hard-nosed defenders, and he will handle the rest. As talented as the one-time NBA MVP Westbrook may be, he is, realistically, none of the above. It was a recipe for disaster, and a disaster it’s been.

Los Angeles Clippers (2023–2024)

On February 20, Westbrook and the Utah Jazz reached a contract buyout agreement; he did not play in any games for the team.

On February 22, 2023, Westbrook signed with the Los Angeles Clippers, reuniting with his former Thunder teammate Paul George. Westbrook became a starter with the Clippers. On February 24, Westbrook made his Clippers debut, putting up 17 points and 14 assists in a 176–175 double overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings, the second-highest-scoring game in NBA history. According to Bleacher Report, Westbrook "looked rejuvenated" after joining the Clippers.

On March 5, Westbrook won his first game as a member of the Clippers with a 135–129 come-from-behind victory against the Memphis Grizzlies. On March 11, Westbrook made his 9,062nd career assist in a 106–95 win over the New York Knicks, surpassing Isiah Thomas for ninth place in the all-time career assists list. During the regular season, Westbrook averaged 15.8 points, 4.9 rebounds and 7.6 assists while shooting 48.9 percent from the field for the Clippers. In July 2023, Coach Tyronn Lue praised Westbrook's effort and toughness, saying that Westbrook had "saved" the Clippers during the final 20 games of the regular season following injuries to Paul George and others.

The Clippers faced the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 2023 NBA playoffs. On April 22, in Game 4 of the Clippers–Suns series, Westbrook scored 37 points in a 112–100 loss. Despite Westbrook averaging 23.6 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.4 assists per game in the playoffs, the Clippers were eliminated by the Suns in five games.

On July 6, 2023, the Clippers re-signed Westbrook to a two-year, $7.8 million contract. After the Clippers' blockbuster trade for James Harden, Westbrook requested to come off the bench, mainly to save a six-game losing streak the Clippers were experiencing at the time. On January 1, 2024, Westbrook passed Patrick Ewing for 25th place on the league's all-time scoring list. On February 2, Westbrook scored 23 points and delivered nine assists to become the 25th player in NBA history with 25,000 career points in a 136–125 win over the Detroit Pistons. He and James Harden became the third pair of 25,000-point scorers to play together in NBA history. They joined LeBron James and Carmelo Anthony for the 2021–22 Lakers and Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce for the 2013–14 Nets. On April 9, Westbrook recorded his first triple-double as a member of the Los Angeles Clippers with 16 points, 15 rebounds and 15 assists in a 105–92 win over the Phoenix Suns.

Denver Nuggets (2024–2025)

On July 26, 2024, Westbrook signed with the Denver Nuggets.

On November 6, 2024, Westbrook scored 29 points, along with six rebounds and six assists on 10-of-15 shooting from the field and 3-of-4 from three in a 124–122 win over his former team, the Oklahoma City Thunder. On November 19, Westbrook put up his 200th career triple-double with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists in a 122–110 win over the Memphis Grizzlies, becoming the first player in NBA history to achieve 200 career triple-doubles. On December 30, Westbrook put up a triple-double with 16 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 132–121 win over the Utah Jazz. He posted the triple-double without a missed field goal or a turnover. Westbrook became just the third player in NBA history to record a triple double with no missed shots and no turnovers, the third to achieve that feat, joining Nikola Jokić and Domantas Sabonis.

On January 10, 2025, Westbrook recorded a triple-double with 25 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 124–105 win over the Brooklyn Nets. His teammate Jokić also put up a triple-double with 35 points, 15 assists, and 12 rebounds, lbecoming the first pair of teammates in NBA history to each record a triple-double in the same game multiple times in a season. On March 15, Westbrook logged 22 points and 11 assists in a 126–123 loss against the Washington Wizards, surpassing 26,000 career points and becoming the 21st player to reach the milestone and the second point guard after Oscar Robertson. On March 28, in a 129–93 win over the Utah Jazz, Westbrook passed Oscar Robertson for No. 8 all-time in assists and Kobe Bryant for No. 16 all-time in steals.

During an April 1 game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Westbrook intercepted a pass, then missed a layup with 17.7 seconds left in the second overtime, with the Nuggets up by one point with the shot clock turned off. He then fouled Timberwolves player Nickeil Alexander-Walker with a tenth of a second left as Alexander-Walker attempted a three-point shot in the corner, allowing Alexander-Walker to make two free throws, resulting in a 140–139 Minnesota victory.

On May 27, 2025, Westbrook underwent surgery on his right hand to repair multiple ligament tears. On June 13, Westbrook declined his $3.4 million player option, thus becoming a free agent.

Sacramento Kings (2025–2026)

On October 16, 2025, Westbrook signed a one-year, minimum salary contract with the Sacramento Kings. He chose to wear number 18 in order to represent the amount of seasons he played in the NBA. On November 5, Westbrook had his 204th career triple‑double and his first as a King, posting 23 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists in a 121–116 victory over the Golden State Warriors. He also achieved 8,734 career rebounds, surpassing Jason Kidd (8,725) for the most career rebounds by a guard in NBA history. On November 14, Westbrook achieved 10,000 career assists in a 124–110 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves, recording a triple-double with 13 points, 10 rebounds, and 14 assists, and joining LeBron James as the only players in NBA history to reach 25,000 career points and 10,000 career assists. On December 27, Westbrook surpassed Magic Johnson and took seventh place on the NBA’s all-time assists list during a 113–107 win over the Dallas Mavericks. In the same game, he also became the 14th player in NBA history to reach 2,000 career steals.

On January 3, 2026, Westbrook put up 17 points, nine rebounds, and six assists in a 129–102 loss to the Phoenix Suns, surpassing Oscar Robertson to become the point guard with the most career points scored in NBA history and moving into 15th place on the NBA’s all-time scoring list. On February 9, Westbrook scored 17 points in the Kings’ 120–94 loss to the New Orleans Pelicans, surpassing the 27,000-point mark for his NBA career and becoming the 14th player in league history to reach the milestone. On March 9, Westbrook recorded his 208th career triple-double, finishing with 23 points, 11 rebounds and 12 assists while committing zero turnovers to lead the Kings to a 126–110 win over the Chicago Bulls. On March 17, Westbrook surpassed Mark Jackson and Steve Nash and took fifth place on the NBA’s all-time assists list during a game against the San Antonio Spurs.

Retirement

On August 12, 2026, Westbrook announced his retirement from professional basketball on social media.

National team career

In 2010, Westbrook was selected to the U.S. FIBA World Championship team in Istanbul, Turkey. On a team without a single member from its 2008 Olympic gold-medal team, Westbrook was considered a star on the team. The 2010 team relied heavily on a small lineup, and Westbrook finished in the top five on the team in minutes per game, and top three in points and assists per game. Team USA went 9–0 to win its first World Championship since 1994. The win automatically qualified Team USA for the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, and the U.S.A overtook Argentina for the No. 1 world ranking.

Westbrook was selected to play for the 2012 Summer Olympic team in London, where he won a second gold medal. He declined an invitation to join the 2016 Olympic team.

Player profile

Standing at 6 feet 4 inches (1.93 m) tall and weighing 200 pounds (91 kg), Westbrook was a point guard who was 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. Westbrook often looked to push the pace of the game for transition points and attack the basket.

Though attacking the rim was Westbrook's forte, he would frequently pull up for medium-range jump shots. He regularly created good scoring opportunities for his teammates, resulting in him averaging over eight assists per game for his career. Despite his intense style of play, and despite having torn his right meniscus in 2013, Westbrook was one of the NBA's most durable players. In his first five years with Oklahoma City he played in every game.

As of November 6, 2025, Westbrook's 204 regular-season triple-doubles are the most in NBA history. His 12 playoff triple-doubles put him at fourth most all time.

Westbrook's free throw percentage declined in the latter years of his career, coinciding with an NBA rule change implemented before the 2017–18 season. In order to reduce wasted time, the rule stipulated that the free throw shooter may not walk back beyond the three-point line in between free throws. While this did not affect most players, it changed Westbrook's prior routine of walking back nearly to half-court between shots, something he had done since childhood. His free throw percentage dropped from 82.3% for the nine years prior to the rule change, to 68.5% for the 7 1/2 years since (to January 2025).

Westbrook's three-point shooting and turnovers were sometimes mentioned when pundits criticized his play, leading to the nickname "Westbrick". As of January 2025, he averaged 30.5% on three-point field goal attempts and 3.9 turnovers per game during his career. Westbrook was also criticized for his "single-mindedness" and for being uncooperative. However, teammates and former teammates such as Paul George, Austin Reaves and Bradley Beal praised him for his leadership and strong work ethic.

Career statistics

Awards and honors

NBA

NBA Most Valuable Player: 2017

9× NBA All-Star: 2011–2013, 2015–2020

2× NBA All-Star Game MVP: 2015, 2016

9× All-NBA Selections:

2× All-NBA First Team: 2016, 2017

5× All-NBA Second Team: 2011–2013, 2015, 2018

2× All-NBA Third Team: 2019, 2020

2× NBA scoring champion: 2015, 2017

3× NBA assists leader: 2018, 2019, 2021

NBA All-Rookie First Team: 2009

Season Long NBA Community Assist Award: 2014–15

NBA 75th Anniversary Team

College

2008 All-Pac-10 Third Team

2008 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year

2008 Pac-10 All-Tournament Team

2008 Pac-10 All-Defensive Team

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

Business interests

Endorsements

In October 2012, Westbrook signed with the Jordan Brand. 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. In 2017, Westbrook signed a 10-year extension with Jordan Brand that gave him the largest total endorsement deal of any athlete sponsored by the brand.

In November 2013, Westbrook signed with Kings and Jaxs Boxer Briefs. He stated: "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." He signed with PepsiCo to become the global face of Mountain Dew Kickstart.

Fashion

In 2015, Westbrook was named Marketing Creative Director of the denim brand True Religion. In 2016, he launched the unisex streetwear brand Honor the Gift, which pays tribute to his years growing up in Hawthorne and Los Angeles.

Film

Westbrook made his production debut with Tulsa Burning: The 1921 Race Massacre about the Tulsa race massacre, which was inspired by his time playing in Oklahoma City. It received three Primetime Emmy nominations in 2021. He produced the short film Why Not? in a collaboration with Jordan Brand. He also produced his autobiographical documentary, Passion Play: Russell Westbrook, which debuted on Showtime in 2021.

Personal life

Westbrook and his wife have three children: one son and twin daughters.

Westbrook wears a "KB3" wristband and has "KB3" on his sneakers in honor of his childhood friend Khelcey Barrs III. In 2012, he started the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Foundation, which promotes community-based education and family service programs while pushing the younger generation to be self-confident.

Westbrook is a minority shareholder in the Premier League soccer club Leeds United. Westbrook is also an investor in USL Championship soccer club OKC Energy.

Publications

Westbrook, Russell (2017). Russell Westbrook: Style Drivers. Rizzoli. ISBN 978-0-8478-5993-1.