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 Us Meet the Man Behind the Memes

- Britni Danielle

RUSSELL WESTBROOK IS NOTORIOUSLY PRIVATE. HE KEEPS HIS RESPONSES SHORT, CHOOSING TO ANSWER ONLY THE QUESTION AT HAND. AND IF YOU ASK HIM ABOUT SOMETHING HE DOESN’T WANT TO DISCUSS, HE WON’T—NO MATTER HOW MANY DIFFERENT WAYS YOU PHRASE IT.

Westbrook’s relationship with the media teeters between tepidly cordial and downright hostile, worn down, it seems, by years of scrutiny about his on-the-court play. Though he’s said the criticism doesn’t get under his skin, it’s difficult to imagine it not affecting him.

“I find that hard to believe for a guy who came into the league at 20. it had to be difficult for him, and i’m sure it took a toll,” says Darnell Mayberry, senior assistant sports editor of The Oklahoman, who has covered Westbrook since he was drafted in 2008. “He was never an outgoing guy with the media. Over time, i think he realized that if he didn’t want to talk about certain things he didn’t have to, and no one could make him.”

These days, the Oklahoma City Thunder front man regularly dodges reporters’ post-game questions with meme worthy looks or launches into his own version of former Seattle Seahawks star Marshawn lynch’s famous line, “i’m just here so i won’t get fined.” in one 2015 interview after a win, Westbrook answered every question with some variation of “We did a good job of executing,” before telling one local reporter, “i just don’t like you.”