Russell Westbrook did not have the impact he envisioned on the court during his time in his home state with the Lakers and Clippers. However, off it, he continues to make a massive difference with his philanthropy, which Hall of Famer Dwyane Wade believes deserves more recognition.
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The veteran guard’s Why Not? Foundation re-opened a branch of the Westbrook Academy with state-of-the-art facilities in South Gate, California. Wade was enamored by the nine-time All-Star and his wife Nina’s efforts to help the community and urged the media to give the guard his flowers. The Hall of Famer shared the Nuggets guard’s post on his Instagram stories and captioned it,
“The coverage The Westbrooks should be getting. This is [fire].“
Dwyane Wade hypes up Russell Westbrook’s ‘Westbrook Academy’ opening pic.twitter.com/OQpDRx68ZE
— What are (W)NBA Celebs Upto? (@NBACelebsUpdate) September 25, 2024
As Wade highlighted, Westbrook is rarely given any props for his philanthropic efforts. In 2014, he won the NBA Community Assist Award for his charitable contribution through the ‘Why Not?’ Foundation. He has been actively giving back to the community in every city he has played in the past decade but hasn’t been lauded for it nearly as much as he deserved.
The Heat icon is keen on helping the Nuggets superstar change the narrative about him and bring attention to his charitable work.
A look into Russell Westbrook’s new school in South Gate
South Gate is just 15 miles from Long Beach, where Westbrook grew up. The guard had a challenging childhood, which is one of the main reasons why he and his wife Nina opened the Westbrook Academy. In an interview with Fox News, the veteran guard said,
“Having grown up in Los Angeles, knowing the resources I didn’t have. And having an opportunity to partner with LA Promise to bring something like this to South LA for their kids, for their families…what’s most important is education.”
The school opened its doors during the pandemic and has since expanded rapidly. It is now responsible for the education of 400 middle and high school students. On September 23rd, Westbrook and his wife attended the grand re-opening of the school, before sharing a peak into the new facilities.
The Hall of Famer won an MVP in 2017 for his exploits on the court but has been among the most valuable contributors in his community for over a decade.
