These Are the Two Words That Inspired NBA MVP Russell Westbrook to Achieve Greatness on the Court, in Business, and in His Community

NBA fable Russell Westbrook couldn't dunk a hoops until his elder twelvemonth of precocious school. Now, pinch 652 (and counting), he holds the grounds for the astir dunks by immoderate constituent defender since the NBA began search play-by-play information successful 1996. To outsiders, this accomplishment seems improbable. For Westbrook, it's a testament to the elemental mantra he lives by: Why not?

"Why not?" is much than conscionable a catchy motto for the 2017 MVP. What started arsenic an wrong joke betwixt mediate schoolhouse friends has evolved into a root of inspiration. "It's a assurance builder," Westbrook explains. "It's a swagger, a belief that you tin do thing you put your mind to."

The Seattle Supersonics (now the Oklahoma City Thunder) drafted Westbrook 4th wide successful 2008, and the remainder is history. But contempt his NBA accolades and immense wealth, Westbrook hasn't forgotten his roots. He continues to transmission his "Why not?" mantra into business and philanthropy, moreover making it the sanction of his foundation.

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Rising Above Adversity

Before becoming a nine-time All-Star, Westbrook was conscionable different kid from South Central Los Angeles, a vicinity celebrated for its taste vibrancy but often overshadowed by issues for illustration pack unit and poverty. "Frankly, galore group aren't fixed the opportunities that I had," he reflects. "Not everyone has that way to success."

Unlike immoderate athletes talented pinch bonzer size aliases spot early on, Westbrook entered precocious schoolhouse opinionated conscionable 5'8". Still, his relentless activity ethic earned him a spot successful the starting lineup by inferior year.

Westbrook caught a break erstwhile he deed a maturation spurt earlier his elder year, shooting up to 6'3" and attracting attraction from assemblage hoops "blue bloods." He fulfilled his precocious schoolhouse dream by committing to UCLA. Westbrook played 2 seasons there, earning Pac-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors arsenic a sophomore, earlier going connected to the NBA, wherever he presently plays for the Denver Nuggets.

As Westbrook's hoops profession soared, truthful did his committedness to giving backmost to the community. He established the Why Not Foundation successful 2012, which precocious unveiled a state-of-the-art campus for the Westbrook Academy successful South Los Angeles, serving complete 400 students. The academy focuses connected education, workforce development, and wellness initiatives to revitalize the underserved community. "The 'Why not?' mantra Isn't conscionable for me," Westbrook says. "It's for everyone astir me, too."

Off Court Alley Oops

His upbringing gave Westbrook a heavy knowing of the resources required to amended his community. "We effort to link pinch everyone, nary matter their property aliases interests," Westbrook says. He's already put his money wherever his rima is regarding that goal, offering a wide assortment of programs for underserved youth, from cooking successful business pinch Little Kitchen to coding successful conjunction pinch Code.chella. "I'm a personification that has my hands successful beautiful overmuch everything," Westbrook says. "So it's difficult for maine to show others they should solely attraction connected education. I deliberation location are different ways to thief different people."

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Westbrook views the business pinch Little Kitchen arsenic a premier example. "It gives soul metropolis kids the resources and opportunities to study the mini specifications of cooking, thing they tin usage successful their mundane life," Westbrook says. "Growing up successful the soul city, location are experiences you mightiness ne'er person the chance to pursue. Providing group pinch the resources to effort caller things and judge they tin execute them goes a agelong way."

Known passim the convention arsenic a stellar teammate and leader, Westbrook's beingness disconnected the tribunal is conscionable arsenic strong. The progressive NBA player, entrepreneur, manner designer, philanthropist, and business proprietor still makes clip to cheque successful connected the students whenever possible. It's a small harder now that he's not playing successful LA, but Westbrook recognizes the worth of the small things for illustration simply showing up. "Money is great," he says, "but clip is much important. If you grew up successful an underserved community, being coming matters much than conscionable penning a check." He takes a measurement further, emphasizing the quality betwixt being coming and conscionable being there. "It's captious for group to spot you and beryllium capable to touch you and talk to you," Westbrook says. In that spirit, Westbrook precocious teamed up pinch the Epworth Foundation for this year's Denver Feed-A-Family event, honoring precocious Denver philanthropist "Daddy" Bruce Randolph's bequest pinch a $20,000 donation, providing 7,500 Thanksgiving repast baskets to those successful need.

While he can't ever beryllium location successful person, Westbrook's power is profoundly felt astatine the schoolhouse which bears his name. Along pinch serving connected the committee and ensuring world resources, he infused the Westbrook Academy field pinch his individual style, including a mural of South LA icon and rapper Nipsey Hussle, his precocious friend and 1 of his favourite artists. "The things that Nip was doing and what he meant to LA inspired me," Westbrook says. "He showed america each the value of giving backmost and helping your organization grow." In 2019, aft posting a 20-20-20 triple-double, Westbrook dedicated his unthinkable accomplishment to Nipsey.

Fashioning a Legacy

Westbrook isn't conscionable a philanthropist; he's besides an accomplished entrepreneur. In 2016, he achieved his lifelong dream of founding his ain clothing brand, Honor the Gift. Like galore of his philanthropic endeavors, Honor the Gift is steeped successful inner-city LA culture. "Every postulation tells a communicative and carries a connection rooted successful the soul city," Westbrook says. "That's the instauration of my creativity. I want group to look astatine Honor the Gift and consciousness a genuine connection, like, 'That marque resonates pinch me.'"

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Westbrook recognizes that he is uniquely positioned to support his organization pinch a multi-million-dollar slope relationship and a level pinch followers to match. Still, he believes everyone tin find a measurement to thief the little fortunate. "The astir important point is to do thing that feels earthy and meaningful, not forced," Westbrook says. "Find a intent you genuinely attraction about, thing you love, that helps others, and spell aft it wholeheartedly." The triple-double king has astir 10,000 assists to his sanction successful his NBA career, but nary of them mean arsenic overmuch to him arsenic the ones he dishes retired of the court.