Russell Westbrook was born in Long Beach, California. He attended Leuzinger high school in Lawndale and then spent three years at UCLA before making it to the NBA.
Chances are that Westbrook grew up being a diehard Los Angeles Lakers fan, which means that he must have idolized Kobe Bryant to some extent.
They then built a close relationship when Westbrook made it to the league, and it’s one of the many reasons why he’s looking forward to donning the purple and gold and leaving it all on the court:
“I’m gonna make sure I do my part and go out and play for him [Kobe] and through him as I compete in this uniform,” Westbrook said, as quoted by Essentially Sports.
"I'm gonna make sure I do my part and go out and play for him and through him as I compete in this uniform."
Russ on playing for Kobe and in his hometown of LA 💜 pic.twitter.com/lUWnOBDokg
— Ball Don’t Lie (@Balldontlie) September 28, 2021
Westbrook had already addressed Kobe’s weight in his desire to be a Laker. In fact, he admitted that he had talked about one day playing for the Lakers:
“Things that we talked about, me and him, just the potential of me being a Laker and understanding what that entails. It’s just crazy to think about. That’ll be with me every time I put that Laker jersey on,” Westbrook said in his introduction conference.
For years, Westbrook was tied to a move to the STAPLES Center but for one reason or other, it didn’t happen.
Now, the former MVP will have another shot at winning an NBA Championship and silencing his critics once and for all.
Like Kobe, Westbrook has never lacked the motivation to prove that he’s willing to outduel and outwork everybody else on the court.
That never-ending fire and competitive spirit will certainly make Kobe proud when he looks down on him next season.
