Russell Westbrook, born on 12 November 1988 in Long Beach, California, playing for the Houston Rockets, and his story of how he went from a quiet schoolboy to an NBA record breaker.
Youth
After a successful high school season, Russell Westbrook quickly received college offers from several schools in America. He then joined the UCLA Bruins in California, and after 2 good seasons there he decided he was ready for the NBA. Westbrook was then selected 4th overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2008 NBA draft.
Record Breaker
In his first season, he was named to the NBA All-Rookie First Team. Unfortunately, he didn’t manage to win Rookie of the Year, because that year it went to Kevin Durant, one of his teammates in Seattle. On 9 April 2017, he broke the record for most triple-doubles in a season (42), which had been held by Oscar Robertson for more than fifty years. In that same 2016-2017 season, he also won MVP (Most Valuable Player), and that was after Kevin Durant decided to leave for the Golden State Warriors that year.
The Shoe-Deal
After Westbrook’s incredible triple-double season, for which he was rewarded with the MVP, Michael Jordan also became more and more interested in Westbrook, and there was more and more speculation that Westbrook wanted to join the Jordan brand. Michael Jordan reportedly sent him a letter after that season to motivate him to win a championship. Jordan has always had a soft spot for Westbrook; he once even went so far as to compare Russell Westbrook to himself. Unfortunately, Westbrook didn’t manage to go home with a championship ring that year, but he did come home with a renewed deal with Jordan. With this deal, Westbrook managed to release his own basketball shoes with the Jordan team, called the Jordan Why Not line.
