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Who Is Russell Westbrook?

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Who Is Russell Westbrook? Faith Connexion Sweater and T-shirt;. Kenneth Cole Sweatpants WESTBROOK WHO IS RUSSELL WESTBROOK? EBONY TRAVELED TO OKLAHOMA CITY TO SEE IF WE COULD PERSUADE ONE OF THE NBA’S BIGGEST―AND MOST GUARDED―STARS TO OPEN UP AND LET US0 MEET THE MAN BEHIND THE MEMES WORDS BY BRITNI DANIELLE PHOTOGRAPHS BY MARK MANN CREATIVE DIRECTION BY PEDRO VEGA JR. STYLING BY LONG NGUYEN AND AYOKA LUCAS PRODUCTION BY TERYN PAYNE; GROOMING BY SHARON TABB FOR KENBARBOZA.COM; DIGITAL TECHPHOTO ASSISTANT JULIAN HOM; SECOND PHOTO ASSISTANT: KAELON WALKER KAELON ASSISTANT: PHOTO JULIAN HOM; SECOND ASSISTANT TECHPHOTO DIGITAL KENBARBOZA.COM; FOR TABB SHARON BY GROOMING PAYNE; TERYN BY PRODUCTION 76 Thom Browne Jacket and Pants; He’s not a diva, as he has been called by teammates. He’s John Elliott Tank not “bizarre,” as he has also been described. Instead, West- brook is disarmingly normal, and the disconnect between the RUSSELL Russell we see on the court and the one behind the scenes is WESTBROOK IS NOTORIOUSLY PRIVATE. HE KEEPS mystifying. HIS RESPONSES SHORT, CHOOSING TO ANSWER Gone are the repetitive answers and wilting looks. This ONLY THE QUESTION AT HAND. AND IF YOU ASK HIM Russell raps along to Migos’ “Bad and Boujee” while smooth- ABOUT SOMETHING HE DOESN’T WANT TO DISCUSS, ly dancing to the bass-heavy beat. This Russell’s eyes light HE WON’T―NO MATTER HOW MANY DIFFERENT WAYS up when his wife, Nina, walks into the room. This Russell is YOU PHRASE IT. (gasp!) fun and not as guarded as others have made him out Westbrook’s relationship with the media teeters between to be. tepidly cordial and downright hostile, worn down, it seems, This Russell is di erent—but why do we rarely get to see by years of scrutiny about his on-the-court play. Though he’s him? said the criticism doesn’t get under his skin, it’s di cult to “I don’t know,” he answers when asked why the media imagine it not a ecting him. seems obsessed with casting him as some sort of brooding “I nd that hard to believe for a guy who came into the basketball genius. “But when I’m able to talk and explain my league at 20. It had to be di cult for him, and I’m sure it took story, people will understand a little more,” he says. a toll,” says Darnell Mayberry, senior assistant sports editor The problem is that he rarely tells his story. His fans know of The Oklahoman, who has covered Westbrook since he was the basics: The elder son of Russell Westbrook Jr. and Shan- dra ed in 2008. “He was never an outgoing guy with the me- non Horton grew up in South Central Los Angeles. He wasn’t dia. Over time, I think he realized that if he didn’t want to a heavily recruited high school basketball prospect, but he talk about certain things he didn’t have to, and no one could busted his ass for a spot on the UCLA Bruins squad. Now he’s make him.” a six-time NBA All-Star who loves to volunteer his time giv- These days, the Oklahoma City Thunder front man regu- ing back. That’s the legend of Russell Westbrook III, and he larly dodges reporters’ post-game questions with memewor- rarely allows outsiders to delve any deeper than that. thy looks or launches into his own version of former Seattle “I’m just very low-key,” he concedes. “I mind my business, Seahawks star Marshawn Lynch’s famous line, “I’m just here take care of what I need to and [do] not worry about every- so I won’t get ned.” In one 2015 interview a er a win, West- thing else.” brook answered every question with some variation of “We “Everything else” seems to revolve around basketball— did a good job of executing,” before telling one local reporter, how he feels about Kevin Durant’s departure; if he thinks “I just don’t like you.” he’ll achieve the elusive triple-double season; if he can win Like Lynch, Westbrook is all about that action, especially with this team. Westbrook grants only a few interviews, espe- on the court, where he seems to have only one speed: possessed. cially during the season, so I don’t want to waste time talking The 28-year-old guard furiously sprints down the hardwood, about basketball; that story’s already been told. slashes to the hoop, crashes the boards and throws lightening- I ease into our conversation by bringing up our mutual fast passes to his teammates. The result? He is on track to connection, Jesse Owens Park. Like him, I spent a lot of time do the nearly impossible: average a triple-double during the there growing up. Though there have been some folks from season, a feat that hasn’t happened since Oscar Robertson the ’hood who made it big, I rarely saw them return. Through became the rst—and so far, the only—NBA player to do so in his Why Not? Foundation, Westbrook not only donates his the 1961–62 season. money to the LA institution, he also gives freely of his time. Although supremely impressive, Westbrook’s basketball Every summer he hosts a children’s basketball camp, and prowess isn’t what lured EBONY to OKC in the middle of win- during the holidays his family serves up Thanksgiving dinner ter. No, we were in search of a bigger prize, one that seemed at the park’s rec center. Many celebrities engage in drive-by to elude many journalists in the past: to meet the real man charity, but this one directly invests in the community that “I’M JUST VERY behind the meme and get him to talk openly about life, mar- supported him. riage and who he is when the world isn’t watching. “That was kind of like my home away from home,” he says of the park. “It’s important because I was one of those kids WESTBROOK STROLLS into Studio XII on a chilly who grew up in the inner city, and there were times we would Saturday a er having rallied the troops to victory over the hear that celebrities would donate. They donated the gym, LOW-KEY.” Memphis Grizzlies the night before. The megastar slips in Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas gi s, but sometimes we the door unannounced, handing out handshakes and daps as didn’t actually see them.” he moves through the room. It’s typical for a celebrity to roll Because of that, it’s crucial to him that he be seen: “I’m not with an entourage, but Westbrook arrives alone, dressed in going to be able to interact with every kid and parent, but I nondescript gray sweats and a black T-shirt, a far cry from the think it’s important that I show my face and go back and nd colorful haute couture out ts we’re used to seeing him wear. ways to be hands-on, even if it’s for 15 minutes,” he says. 78 EBONY.COM APRILMAY 2017 APRILMAY 2017 EBONY.COM 79 Giving back extends far beyond sports camps and handing placed on his shoulders, and he welcomes it. out hot meals for Westbrook. One of the biggest initiatives of “I know people look up to me,” he says, “[So] I try to nd the Why Not? Foundation is encouraging kids to fall in love ways to be a role model to younger kids and try to teach some with reading. of the things I learned when I was younger.” “Literacy and education in public schools are not as good as One way he’s blazing the trail is by rede ning how Black they should be,” he says, explaining why he wanted to focus on male athletes are viewed. Through his unique fashion sense— reading. Besides partnering with publisher Scholastic to give which has resulted in partnerships with Barneys New York, away books and help provide reading rooms to schools, a move True Religion, Nike and Westbrook Frames, his own line of that earned him the NBA Cares Community Assist Award in funky eyewear—the star is proving he isn’t just a ballplayer. 2015, Westbrook is also a regular on the Rolling Thunder Book Though the point guard is a man of few words, he acknowl- Bus, one of his team’s community outreach programs. edges he’s already thinking about life a er basketball. “I wasn’t a huge reader growing up,” the former high school “Fashion is No. 1,” he explains. “I want to have my own line, honor student admits, “but I know reading at a young age and I have di erent things at work in that business.” It’s an helps [children] in the long run. It helps you learn about life, obvious choice, of course. But there’s one thing we probably learn about di erent things in the world—maybe books about won’t see the star do a er basketball: become a broadcaster. African-American history, maybe books about sports. I think “I hate talking,” he says when asked if he’ll follow the path those are the things that people need to know about.” many other pro athletes have taken. Westbrook champions learning more about Black history One thing Westbrook does love ercely is his family. He’s Faith Connexion but typically avoids speaking publicly about race. Though he extremely close to his parents and younger brother, Raynard, Shirt ; Stampd rarely wades into discussions on the topic, he dipped his toe but it’s his relationship with his wife that keeps him grounded.
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