Get 2 Know Russell Westbrook

HOUSTON – Russell Westbrook is coming to the Rockets after spending the first 11 years of his NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder.

He’s a former NBA MVP winner (2016-17) and has posted three-consecutive seasons of averaging a triple-double.

He’s an eight-time All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA selection. He made 3rd Team All-NBA last season, after making the 1st or 2nd team in each of his previous seven seasons.

Teammates again

Westbrook and James Harden played together for three seasons in Oklahoma City. In their final season together with the Thunder, they advanced to the NBA Finals, losing to the Miami Heat. It’s the only trip to the NBA finals for each player.

He’s a star

Westbrook won the NBA MVP award in 2016-17, edging out Harden in the voting. Westbrook received 69 of the 101 first-place votes, while Harden garnered 22. Westbrook became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 to average a triple-double for an entire season. He won the league scoring title with 31.6 points per game and added 10.7 rebounds per game to go with 10.4 assists per game.

Westbrook family

Westbrook and his wife Nina, who was his college sweetheart at UCLA, are parents to a son and twin daughters.

Long-time friends

Harden and Westbrook have been friends for about 20 years, going back to their time growing up in Los Angeles. Prior to their playoff series against one another in 2017, Westbrook was asked about their friendship and said, "When I get on the floor, I got one friend, and that's the basketball."

He said, "I've been like that since I was a little kid. My dad told me that when I was younger: 'You got one friend, and your friend is Spalding. At the time maybe it was Wilson or some other s---.'"