It has been said ad nauseam at this point, but the deal to bring Russell Westbrook to the Los Angeles Lakers means a return home for the superstar point guard. Westbrook grew up in Hawthorne, California, and attended Leuzinger High School and UCLA before taking the NBA by storm.
On an individual level, Westbrook has accomplished everything there is to do in the NBA. But the ultimate goal, of course, is winning an NBA Championship and he now has the chance to do that with his hometown team. But the return home also means a lot to Westbrook’s family, which is always of the utmost importance to the guard.
Westbrook has always been about family and loyalty and that is even more important now that he is back home with the Lakers. And while there is joy and excitement with his chance to win a championship in the Purple and Gold, Westbrook made it clear that his family is just as excited.
“Anytime a situation like this comes about or an opportunity presents itself it can be stressful,” Westbrook said at his introductory press conference. “A lot of emotions, but ultimately the biggest thing for me being in this league when you know teams that actually want you… to me, that means more than anything else.
“At that point, it’s my job to make sure and come and do what I’m supposed to do and that’s to compete and make sure we have a chance to compete for a championship. And yes, my family was very, very happy [laughs].”
Of course anyone’s family would be excited about a return home, but for Westbrook, the excitement is just at a different level. The Lakers mean something different to a kid growing up in the Los Angeles area so to be able to pursue your dreams here is something any kid would want.
But family means everything to Westbrook, so to be able to be closer with them, while still playing basketball at the highest level is more than anyone could ask for. Needless to say, he will have plenty of support inside Staples Center every night.
Westbrook will put Lakers roster up against anybody
As far as his chances of winning a championship with the Lakers go, Westbrook is willing to put the roster up against anybody else in the league.
“To be honest, my mindset is I never really worry about no other team. To be honest, we only can control what’s in our locker room and how we’re able to compete and go out. I put our team up against anybody. That’s where I stand with that.”
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