Westbrook as a member of the Thunder during the 2008-09 NBA season. | |
Oklahoma City Thunder – No. 0 | |
Point guard | |
Born | November 12, 1988 Long Beach, California |
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Nationality | American |
Listed height | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) |
Listed weight | 187 lb (85 kg) |
League | NBA |
Salary | $3,755,640 |
High school | Leuzinger, Lawndale, California |
College | UCLA |
Draft | 4th overall, 2008 Seattle SuperSonics |
Pro career | 2008–present |
Awards | 2009 NBA All-Rookie First Team |
Profile | Info Page |
Russell Westbrook (born November 12, 1988) is an American professional basketball player currently playing for the Oklahoma City Thunder of the NBA. He was drafted by the Thunder's former incarnation, the Seattle SuperSonics which later relocated from Seattle, Washington to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. He was the starting point guard for the UCLA Bruins men's basketball team while Darren Collison was injured. When Collison returned, Westbrook moved to shooting guard.
He is known primarily for his athleticism, in the form of high flying dunks in transition and his lock down defense. A virtual no-name in his freshman year, averaging 3.4 points per game, his stats and his potential exploded in his sophomore year, when he averaged 12.5 points per game.
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Early years
Westbrook was born in Long Beach, California to parents Russell Westbrook and Shannon Horton. He has one younger brother, Raynard, and has said that he admires former Los Angeles Lakers great Earvin "Magic" Johnson.[1]
At Leuzinger High School, Westbrook led the team to a 25-4 overall record and to a CIF-SS Div. I-AA quarterfinal playoff appearance during his senior year. He averaged 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.3 assists. He also connected on 57 three-pointers and made 76.0 percent of his free throws. He collected 14 double-doubles, scored 30 or more points on eight occasions and registered a career-best 51 points at Carson on Jan. 6, 2006. He did not attract too much attention from top college basketball programs until Ben Howland offered him a scholarship to play for the UCLA Bruins. He was a high school teammate of current Miami Heat forward Dorell Wright while attending Leuzinger High School.
College
At his two years of playing for the UCLA Bruins, wearing #0, the team advanced to the Final Four. The Bruins lost to Memphis, 78-63, in 2008 and to Florida, 76-66, in 2007 Final Four semi-finals.
College | Year | GP | GS | SPG | BPG | RPG | APG | PPG | FG% | FT% | 3P% |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
UCLA | 2006-07 | 36 | 1 | 0.4 | 0.02 | 0.8 | 0.7 | 3.4 | .457% | .548% | .409% |
UCLA | 2007-08 | 39 | 34 | 1.6 | 0.2 | 3.9 | 4.3 | 12.7 | .465% | .713% | .338% |
NBA
He was selected 4th overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. He signed with Oklahoma City on July 5, 2008 along with D. J. White.[3] He played with fellow Bruin Earl Watson on the Thunder team.
Westbrook was named the Western Conference Rookie of the month for December and February. In December, Westbrook averaged 15.5 PPG, 5.1 APG, and 5.1 RPG. In February, Westbrook averaged 20.6 PPG, 5.9 APG, and 6.1 RPG.[4]
On February 1, 2009, Westbrook set a career-high 34 points in an overtime loss to the Sacramento Kings.[5] He made 7 of 18 field goals and 20 of 22 free throws.[6] His 20 free throws were the most by a Kings opponent since the franchise relocated to Sacramento, California.[7]
He was also a candidate for the 2009 Slam Dunk Contest but lost in fan voting to the Spanish Rudy Fernandez.
On March 2, 2009 Westbrook recorded a triple double with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. He was the first rookie to do so since Chris Paul in the 2005-06 season, and the third player in Sonics/Thunder franchise history: Art Harris 1968-69 and Gary Payton in 1990-91.[8]
Finished fourth in the 2008/09 NBA Rookie of the Year voting[9] behind Derrick Rose (Chicago Bulls), O. J. Mayo (Memphis Grizzlies) and Brook Lopez (New Jersey Nets). Westbrook was named to the NBA's all-rookie first team, along with fellow UCLA classmate Kevin Love, who was named to the second team.
Personal
It has been reported in various media biographies that he is the cousin of Philadelphia Eagles running back Brian Westbrook. However, a July 2008 Daily Oklahoman article reported that when he was asked about his relationship with Brian, Russell Westbrook responded, "That's not my cousin."[10]
Awards and recognition
- 2009 NBA All-Rookie First Team
- 2008 Collegeinsider.com All-Defensive Team
- 2008 Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year and Third-Team All-Conference
- Third-team Long Beach Press-Telegram Best in the West selection
- Third-team All-State, first-team All-CIF Division I and two-time Most Valuable Player of the Bay League honors
- Scout.com rated Westbrook as the No. 2 shooting guard in the West and one of the top 25 shooting guards in the nation
See also
References
- ^ UCLA player bio
- ^ NBA.com: Russell Westbrook Draft 2008 Profile
- ^ ESPN - Westbrook, White sign rookie deals with SuperSonics - NBA
- ^ http://www.nba.com/2009/news/03/02/rookies.month/index.html | Rookie of the Month Feb 09
- ^ Veteran Jackson carries Kings in overtime to beat lowly Thunder
- ^ Oklahoma City Thunder vs. Sacramento Kings - Box Score - February 01, 2009 - ESPN
- ^ NBA.com : Russell Westbrook Info Page
- ^ ESPN - Notes, Stats and Trends from Research March 3, 2009
- ^ Bulls' Rose takes home Rookie of Year Award, NBA.com, 22 April 2009, accessed 28 April 2009.
- ^ "Orlando Summer Pro League notebook: Rookies struggle at the line," Daily Oklahoman, July 12, 2008. (subscription required)
External links
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