Russell Westbrook Jr. and Shannon Horton welcomed Westbrook into the world in Long Beach, California. Raynard, his little brother, that’s his name. Westbrook and his best friend Khelcey Barrs III longed to attend UCLA and play together while growing up in Hawthorne.
Barrs got scholarship offers for college at age 16, where he was already recognized for his superior basketball skills. Barrs died of an enlarged heart while playing basketball in May 2004. Westbrook seems even more determined to succeed after Barrs passed away in honor of his best friend.
Westbrook, a point guard who was just 5 feet 8 inches (1.73 meters) tall and weighed only 140 pounds (64 kg), despite having huge feet (size 14), entered Leuzinger High School. He didn’t join his school’s varsity team until his freshman year, and it wasn’t until the summer before his senior year that he received his first varsity recruiting letter. That same summer, Westbrook reached his adult height of 6 feet 3 inches (1.91 meters).
Westbrook helped them go 25-4 his senior year averaging 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, 3.1 steals and 2.3 assists. He had 14 double-doubles, eight games with 30 or more points and a career-high 51 points in the same season.
