Russell Westbrook is a professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association. In 2023, he signed with the Los Angeles Clippers.
He is a 9-time NBA All-Star and he is also an Olympic Gold Medalist when was part of the US Men’s National Basketball Team who played in the 2012 London Olympics.
Player Profile and Personal Life
Russell Westbrook III was born on November 12, 1988, in Long Beach, California in the United States of America. He stands 193 cm tall and his weight was last listed at 91 kg. He shoots with his right and he is a point guard.
Team | Los Angeles Clippers |
Position | Point Guard |
Height / weight | 1.93 m / 93 kg |
Born | 12 Nov 1988 |
Nationality | United States |
Playing Style | Right Handed |
Nickname | Mr. Triple Double |
Team History | |
LA Clippers | 2023 - present |
Los Angeles | 2021 - 2023 |
Washington | 2020 - 2021 |
Houston | 2019 - 2020 |
Oklahoma City | 2008 - 2019 |
He is married and he has one son and twin daughters. He has gone by the nicknames The Brodie, Russ, Beastbrook, and Mr. Triple Double.
High School and College Career
Westbrook was born in Longbeach, California, but he grew up in Hawthorne. While studying at Leuzinger High School, he only became a member of the varsity during his junior year.
He was later recruited by the University of California – Los Angeles where he was instrumental in bringing UCLA to the Final Four twice.
Professional Career
In the 2008 NBA draft, he was drafted by the then-Seattle Supersonics which then became the Oklahoma City Thunder after a couple of days. Westbrook celebrated a career milestone in 2009 as he had his first triple-double with 17 points, 10 rebounds, and 10 assists.
He became a starter during his second year with the team. Westbrook helped the team more than double their victories and even made the playoffs. He also improved his regular season performance with an average of 20.5 points per game.
Recording a career-high score of 43 points in November 2010 in a game against the Indiana Pacers, Westbrook continued to reach new milestones. He was also chosen to appear in the 2011 NBA All-Star Game as a reserve.
In his career, he would be named an NBA All-Star 9 times, most recently in 2020.
In a game against the Minnesota Timberwolves in March 2012, Westbrook scored another career high with 45 points. For the first time since the franchise was relocated to Oklahoma City, the Thunder reached the NBA Finals but lost to the Miami Heat.
Westbrook became the only player, along with Michael Jordan, to record more than 25 points and more than 10 assists in an NBA Finals debut.
He was instrumental in helping the Thunder become the number 1 seed in the Western Conference and in reaching the playoffs in the 2012-2013 Season. However, he was unable to play as he was recovering from a surgery that repaired an injury to his right meniscus. He had another surgery on his knee at the beginning of the 2013-2014 Season.
For the rest of the season, Westbrook only played limited minutes. However, he was still able to record his second triple-double in March 2014.
The Thunder was able to make it to the Western Conference Finals as the second seed. While the Thunder lost the series to the Spurs, Westbrook became the only other player aside from Jordan to record 40 points, 10 assists, 5 steals, and 5 rebounds during a playoff game.
During the start of the 2014-2015 Season, Westbrook suffered another fracture to his right hand. While the team suffered losses initially, Westbrook and Durant returned to help the Thunder back into contention.
He also recorded the ninth triple-double of his career and became the 5th player in the league’s history to have a statistics line of 15-15-15 in a single game.
From 2015 to 2016, he had several career milestones such as recording his 18th triple-double in the season, tying for the most triple-doubles in a single season with Magic Johnson. In 2016, he was selected to start in his first All-Star Game. While the Thunder were able to reach the Western Conference Finals, they lost to the Golden State Warriors.
For the 2016 to 2017 Season, Westbrook extended his contract with the Thunder.
He also recorded his historic 42nd triple-double, moving into the 4th place for most triple-doubles in the league’s history. The Thunder also got to the playoffs but lost to the Houston Rockets. He received the NBA MVP Award.
Westbrook received the biggest guaranteed contract in the history of the NBA in the 2017 to 2018 Season.
He continued his exceptional performance throughout the season and was able to record his 100th triple-double, the fourth in NBA history, on March 13, 2018.
He endured a difficult spell at the Los Angeles Lakers from 2021 to 2023 where his play didn’t work alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis and was eventually traded to the Los Angeles Clippers in February 2023.
In addition to his professional career, he also represented the United States in the Olympics and won the gold medal for men’s basketball at the 2012 London Olympics.
Career Highlights
- 2017 - NBA Most Valuable Player
- 2011–2013, 2015–2020 - NBA All-Star
- 2015, 2016 - NBA All-Star Game MVP
- 2015, 2016 - All-NBA First Team
- 2011–2013, 2015, 2018 - All-NBA Second Team
- 2019, 2020 - All-NBA Third Team
- 2009 - NBA All-Rookie First Team
- 2015, 2017 - NBA scoring champion
- 2018, 2019, 2021 - NBA assists leader
- NBA 75th Anniversary Team
- 2008 - Third-team All-Pac-10
- 2008 - Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year
- 2008 - Pac-10 All-Defensive Team
Medal Record, Men’s basketball, representing the United States
- Gold - 2012 London Olympic Games
- Gold - 2010 Turkey World Championship/World Cup
People Ask
Where was Russell Westbrook born?
He was born in Long Beach, California in the United States of America on November 12, 1988.
How tall is Russell Westbrook?
He is 193 cm or six feet and four inches tall.
What position does Russell Westbrook play?
He is a point guard.