The genesis of ‘Why not?’
Russell Westbrook’s motto served as the seed for his success.
Imagine being Russell Westbrook growing up in inner city Los Angeles and surrounded by doubters.
This wasn’t Westbrook the Most Valuable Player to-be, or the statuesque 6-foot-3 superstar in Thunder colors. Think of the undersized, underrecruited kid with less than a handful of Division-I offers. Think of the parents who worked to keep their sons away from gang violence, to negate hate with hope.
Before a scholarship came open at UCLA, before that senior year growth spurt, before the postgame podium fashion shows, there was a simple question Westbrook and his younger brother, Ray, were taught as children.
“My motto is ‘Why Not?,’” Westbrook said in April 9 in Denver after breaking Oscar Robertson’s record for most triple-doubles in a single season. “Regardless of what people say, whether it’s possible or not, I continue to think ‘why not?’ and strive to be the best I can be.”
On Monday, Westbrook will take his place in New York City as one of three finalists for the NBA’s Most Valuable Player award, and the Why Not? motto has shaped his ascent.
It started early. From a young age, Westbrook and his brother were taught to ask “Why Not?” when told they couldn’t do something. It carried over to high school with Westbrook and his friends at Leuzinger.
It might seem like a lesson in defiant thinking, but it was empowering.
“My parents raised me and my brother the right way and to have selfconfidence,” Westbrook said in an interview with Graham Bensinger in August of 2016. “Having self-confidence in this world is important in whatever you’re doing.”
Yes, there’s superb athleticism, but there’s also belief. Westbrook became the only player listed under 6-foot-3 in NBA history to average 10 or more rebounds in a season.
That’s not just teammates deferring on defensive rebounds. That’s saying “Why Not,” and outjumping power forwards and centers.
Westbrook’s certainly not short of confidence on the court. Besides his game-winner in Denver this season from 38 feet, his greatest “Why Not?” moment may have been a dunk that never happened.
Utah’s Rudy Gobert is 7-foot-1 and widely considered the best defensive center in the NBA. So? In a February game in Salt Lake City, Westbrook took off from about three feet inside the free throw line and tried to hammer a dunk on top of Gobert.
An awestruck Enes Kanter thought the audacious attempt would have been the dunk of the year if it hadn’t clanged off the back of the rim.
“It’s amazing what he’s capable of doing on the court,” Kanter said.
Westbrook lives by the same amazing “Why Not?” code beyond the court. His Why Not? Foundation is in Year 5, created with the intent of supporting communitybased education and family service programs. With Oklahoma City Public Schools facing potential closings at five low-enrollment elementary schools, the Why Not? Foundation opened Russell’s Reading Rooms in three of those locations in March and a total of 10 across Oklahoma City in one day.
In the wake of Kevin Durant’s departure in free agency, Westbrook’s life mantra has been elevated, culminating with Monday in the Big Apple.
Why Not? Why couldn’t the Thunder make the postseason? Why couldn’t Westbrook go from an underdog to the top one?
“I was never the best player. Not ever in my life,” Westbrook explained to GQ.com in October 2016. “Though even when I was younger, I felt that on any given day I could be.
“And that mentality is what’s helped me get over the hump each and every day to where I was meant to go.”