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NBA legend Russell Westbrook could not dunk a basketball till his senior 12 months of highschool. Now, with 652 (and counting), he holds the file for essentially the most dunks by any level guard because the NBA started monitoring play-by-play knowledge in 1996. To outsiders, this achievement appears unbelievable. For Westbrook, it is a testomony to the easy mantra he lives by: Why not?
“Why not?” is greater than only a catchy slogan for the 2017 MVP. What began as an inside joke between center faculty mates has developed right into a supply of inspiration. “It is a confidence builder,” Westbrook explains. “It is a swagger, a perception that you are able to do something you set your thoughts to.”
The Seattle Supersonics (now the Oklahoma Metropolis Thunder) drafted Westbrook fourth general in 2008, and the remainder is historical past. However regardless of his NBA accolades and immense wealth, Westbrook hasn’t forgotten his roots. He continues to channel his “Why not?” mantra into enterprise and philanthropy, even making it the title of his basis.
Rising Above Adversity
Earlier than turning into a nine-time All-Star, Westbrook was simply one other child from South Central Los Angeles, a neighborhood celebrated for its cultural vibrancy however typically overshadowed by points like gang violence and poverty. “Frankly, many individuals aren’t given the alternatives that I had,” he displays. “Not everybody has that path to success.”
Not like some athletes gifted with extraordinary measurement or energy early on, Westbrook entered highschool standing simply 5’8″. Nonetheless, his relentless work ethic earned him a spot within the beginning lineup by junior 12 months.
Westbrook caught a break when he hit a progress spurt earlier than his senior 12 months, capturing as much as 6’3″ and attracting consideration from school basketball “blue bloods.” He fulfilled his highschool dream by committing to UCLA. Westbrook performed two seasons there, incomes Pac-10 Defensive Participant of the Yr honors as a sophomore, earlier than occurring to the NBA, the place he at the moment performs for the Denver Nuggets.
As Westbrook’s basketball profession soared, so did his dedication to giving again to the group. He established the Why Not Foundation in 2012, which not too long ago unveiled a state-of-the-art campus for the Westbrook Academy in South Los Angeles, serving over 400 college students. The academy focuses on training, workforce growth, and wellness initiatives to revitalize the underserved group. “The ‘Why not?’ mantra Is not only for me,” Westbrook says. “It is for everybody round me, too.”
Off Court docket Alley Oops
His upbringing gave Westbrook a deep understanding of the assets required to enhance his group. “We attempt to join with everybody, regardless of their age or pursuits,” Westbrook says. He is already put his cash the place his mouth is relating to that purpose, providing all kinds of packages for underserved youth, from cooking in partnership with Little Kitchen to coding along with Code.chella. “I am an individual that has my palms in just about every part,” Westbrook says. “So it is arduous for me to inform others they need to solely concentrate on training. I feel there are alternative ways to assist completely different individuals.”
Westbrook views the partnership with Little Kitchen as a primary instance. “It provides interior metropolis youngsters the assets and alternatives to be taught the small particulars of cooking, one thing they will use of their on a regular basis life,” Westbrook says. “Rising up within the interior metropolis, there are experiences you would possibly by no means have the possibility to pursue. Offering individuals with the assets to attempt new issues and imagine they will obtain them goes a good distance.”
Recognized all through the league as a stellar teammate and chief, Westbrook’s presence off the courtroom is simply as robust. The energetic NBA participant, entrepreneur, designer, philanthropist, and enterprise proprietor nonetheless makes time to verify in on the scholars each time doable. It is a bit tougher now that he isn’t taking part in in LA, however Westbrook acknowledges the worth of the little issues like merely exhibiting up. “Cash is nice,” he says, “however time is extra essential. In the event you grew up in an underserved group, being current issues extra than simply writing a verify.” He takes a step additional, emphasizing the distinction between being current and simply being there. “It is vital for individuals to see you and be capable to contact you and speak to you,” Westbrook says. In that spirit, Westbrook not too long ago teamed up with the Epworth Basis for this 12 months’s Denver Feed-A-Household occasion, honoring late Denver philanthropist “Daddy” Bruce Randolph’s legacy with a $20,000 donation, offering 7,500 Thanksgiving meal baskets to these in want.
Whereas he cannot at all times be there in particular person, Westbrook’s affect is deeply felt on the faculty which bears his title. Together with serving on the board and making certain educational assets, he infused the Westbrook Academy campus along with his private fashion, together with a mural of South LA icon and rapper Nipsey Hussle, his late buddy and one in every of his favourite artists. “The issues that Nip was doing and what he meant to LA impressed me,” Westbrook says. “He confirmed us all of the significance of giving again and serving to your group develop.” In 2019, after posting a 20-20-20 triple-double, Westbrook dedicated his incredible achievement to Nipsey.
Fashioning a Legacy
Westbrook is not only a philanthropist; he is additionally an completed entrepreneur. In 2016, he achieved his lifelong dream of founding his personal clothes model, Honor the Gift. Like a lot of his philanthropic endeavors, Honor the Reward is steeped in inner-city LA tradition. “Each assortment tells a narrative and carries a message rooted within the interior metropolis,” Westbrook says. “That is the muse of my creativity. I would like individuals to take a look at Honor the Reward and really feel a real connection, like, ‘That model resonates with me.'”
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Westbrook acknowledges that he’s uniquely positioned to assist his group with a multi-million-dollar checking account and a platform with followers to match. Nonetheless, he believes everybody can discover a method to assist the much less lucky. “A very powerful factor is to do one thing that feels pure and significant, not compelled,” Westbrook says. “Discover a function you really care about, one thing you like, that helps others, and go after it wholeheartedly.” The triple-double king has practically 10,000 assists to his title in his NBA profession, however none of them imply as a lot to him as those he dishes out of the courtroom.