Russell Westbrook entered the NBA in 2008, when the Seattle SuperSonics selected him fourth overall in the draft after two seasons at UCLA. The franchise soon became the Oklahoma City Thunder, and Westbrook spent his first eleven professional seasons there. His first career triple-double came as a rookie, on March 2, 2009, with 17 points, 10 rebounds and 10 assists. In 2012, he and Kevin Durant led the Thunder to the NBA Finals, where Oklahoma City fell to Miami in five games.
His 2016-17 season changed how the league measured an individual game. Westbrook averaged a triple-double for the entire season, a feat no player had managed since Oscar Robertson, and won the NBA's Most Valuable Player award. The climb had shown in the numbers season by season: 11 triple-doubles in 2014-15, then 18 in 2015-16, the most in a single season since Magic Johnson's 1982 campaign. He went on to average a triple-double in four different seasons, and he passed Robertson's 181 career triple-doubles to become the league's all-time leader in the category. Robertson welcomed him into the club, offering positive appraisals of his game. Asked in an NBA interview what he would say if told years earlier that he would hold that record, Westbrook answered, "Why not?"
His record also includes nine All-Star selections, two All-Star Game MVP awards and an Olympic gold medal from the 2012 London Games. After Oklahoma City, he played for Houston, Washington and the Los Angeles Lakers. In October 2025, the Sacramento Kings announced a deal bringing the nine-time All-Star back for his 18th NBA season.
Westbrook has also spoken publicly as an African American athlete about police shootings.
Away from the court, his Why Not? Foundation describes a partnership with the LA Promise Fund to develop Westbrook Academy, a South Los Angeles charter school serving grades 6-12. The foundation says their work includes educational and athletic offerings, a technology lab, a food pantry, and guidance for students preparing for college. The programs run through the LA Promise Fund and the school staff who carry them out day to day.
