Peers of Westbrook making moves

It’s the day of the Thunder’s preseason finale and Demetrius “Juice” Deason apologizes for his voice being a little scratchy. He lives in Los Angeles, but comes to Oklahoma City often to support his friend.

One of the side effects is a dose of the up-anddown Oklahoma climate.

“I’ve kinda gotten used to the weather,” Deason said. “... but sometimes I’m just like ... man.”

It’s worth it for the 29-year-old comedian. He’s performing at the Tower Theatre on Friday in a fast-growing annual show that’s been championed by Deason’s childhood teammate, Thunder guard Russell Westbrook.

For the third year in a row, Deason will host his Why Not? Comedy Show in Oklahoma City.

It’s yet another example of how the people around Westbrook continue to expand beyond his basketball brand.

Deason’s transition

Deason and Westbrook have been friends since middle school, playing on the same team in seventh grade. It carried on to Leuzinger High School, where Westbrook and Deason were part of a tight team of underdogs, more times than not smaller than the opposition.

Then Westbrook sprouted from 5-foot-10 to 6-foot-3 the summer after his junior year and his basketball path became clearer. The shorter and slighter Deason’s path was murkier.

“A lot of athletes after they get done with sports, they kind of go through that transition of what they’re going to do next,” Deason said. “I was blessed that I fell into comedy.”

Whether it was Westbrook’s path from Leuzinger to UCLA, or UCLA to the NBA, the Why Not? motto was ever present. It stayed with Deason, too, hence the name of his comedy tour and inspiration behind his Layups2Standup comedy production company. The company is named for Deason’s transition from basketball player to comedian, and carries Westbrook’s same Why Not? mentality and blessing.

“Juice is a hardworking guy, and he’s put himself in a position to constantly keep working,” Westbrook said Tuesday. “I’m just here to support my friend, and he’s brought it to Oklahoma City, so definitely I’m excited for him and what he’s able to bring to this city.”

“It kind of all goes hand and hand,” Deason said of the Why Not? brand and his path to comedy. Friday's show will benefit Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma's Kids Backpack Program. “Since I’ve been doing comedy, Russell has been coming to my shows and all of my events. It makes sense to kind of tie the two things together.”

It also makes sense for Westbrook, he of the close inner circle, to inspire and draw inspiration from the people around him.

Off-court ambition

The Little Ark, which opened July 16 in Nichols Hills, is more than just a boutique for baby gifts.

There’s a copy of “Russell Westbrook: Style Drivers,” his fashion book from 2017 on a shelf, its spine showing the title but no photos visible. On the opposite wall, the softest toddler onesies imaginable hang, only a few of them sporting “OKC Thunder” graphics with lightning bolts.

No photos of Westbrook — Russell or his wife, Nina — hang in the storefront. Without being a Thunder enthusiast, a person would never

know The Little Ark was a Westbrook venture.

On thelittleark.com, Nina Westbrook said she wanted to create a space in the community where parents and their children could join together for constructive play time. The Little Ark is more.

At UCLA where she met Russell, Nina studied English and Psychology and received her master's degree in Clinical Psychology with a specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy. Nina is a Licensed Marriage/Family Therapist who’s created programs at The Little Ark around her education and an aesthetic that’s specifically hers.

"It's pretty much my project," Nina Westbrook told KOCO News in July. "He came by the store and he was just blown away."

Russell Westbrook’s Instagram posts oscillate between basketball, fashion and being blown away by the accomplishments of his family and friends. Their personal endeavors, completely separate from his basketball brand, are trumpeted in videos from parties or a photo of his younger brother.

S.R.W. Studios opened in May, the creation of Shannon Westbrook, Russell’s mother. It’s an event space in downtown Los Angeles that has hosted birthday parties, graduations, weddings and more.

Russell’s younger brother, Ray — who has an undergraduate degree in broadcast journalism from the University of Central Oklahoma and a masters in communications from the University of Oklahoma — has taken Why Not? into motivational speaking.

“That’s my whole motive,” Ray Westbrook said on The Lo Down Podcast earlier this year. “To let kids know you’re going to go through struggles in life, but you can still figure it out.”

“We all have that mentality”

Deason believes Russell Westbrook is motivated by the people around him and vice versa. It’s why whenever he has a big show, he’s not surprised Westbrook is there.

There’s no doubt Westbrook will be there Friday on 23rd St., rallying behind not just a lifelong friend, but — like the people closest to him — a motivated individual with a personal vision.

“I’m grateful to be Russell’s friend, but I don’t want people to just see me as Russell’s friend,” Deason said. “I’m very talented, and I have a lot of other things I bring to the table besides being Russell’s friend.

“I feel like we all have that mentality of we’re not just his wife, we’re not just his mom. We all have different things going for us, and I feel like as a collective unit we’re very strong because of that. I think it really speaks to Russell and his mentality, how the people around him, we all have that same mentality.”