Years ago, when Russell Westbrook was a fresh-faced young guard trying to make his way in the NBA, he sat in front of Bob Lanier, an NBA legend and Hall-of-Famer.
What Westbrook learned from the 14-year NBA veteran of the Detroit Pistons and Milwaukee Bucks, however, had nothing to do with his work on the basketball court. It was Lanier’s message about making wise decisions, creating a lasting impact in the community and utilizing their status as professional athletes to help others that resonated with the Thunder point guard.
Years later, on Tuesday night, Westbrook was reunited with Lanier at the Hilton hotel in downtown Manhattan, where the latter presented the former with the 2014-15 NBA Cares Seasonlong Community Assist Award. As the two spoke prior to the announcement, Westbrook told Lanier that he remembered that crucial message from years before. It’s clear, after all of his charity work over the years and particularly this season, that Westbrook not only listened, but took those words to heart.
“(Russell) gets it about giving back and using his celebrity for the greater good,” Lanier said. “He’s a special person, very special. I’m glad that he’s involved and glad that he’s making a difference.”
“I’ve been doing this for a long time – trying to get our players to make better choices,” Lanier continued. “It makes you feel gratified that the work that you do is being listened to and it’s working.”
The award, symbolized by the David Robinson Plaque, was presented to Westbrook at the Draft Lottery by Lanier and Yvette Radford of Kaiser Permanente, the award’s sponsor, who along with the NBA donated $25,000 to Westbrook’s Why? Not Foundation. Out of all of the worthy candidates, Westbrook was selected by a vote from the fans and an NBA panel of judges including past J. Walter Kennedy Citizenship Award winner Dikembe Mutombo.
“The community assist award goes to that player who really gives back to the community and cares about the community,” NBA Deputy Commissioner Mark Tatum said. “There hasn’t been a player more representative of that than Russell this year. He continues to give back in so many different ways. He’s so appreciative of the opportunities that have been given to him. He cares about giving back to the community. It’s so deserving that he’s the winner of that award.”
The events that Westbrook hosted from the start of the year to the end were all a factor – from opening three Reading Rooms in Oklahoma City schools to donating a Kia to a single mother of two to serving Thanksgiving dinner to kids at the Boys & Girls club. What stood out even more, however, to the panel at the NBA was the attitude, commitment and energy that Westbrook brought to his role as an ambassador for the league. It was clear that the words Lanier spoke many years ago still course through Westbrook’s mind as he sets out on his daily mission to give back to those in need.
“The characteristic to me is that he cares about people more than he cares about himself,” Lanier explained. “He knows and understands where he is in life right now. He knows that he can use it to do very positive things and make positive changes. That’s exceptional to me.”
“It’s about his heart, his love and his desire and kindness, the way he looks the community, the way he sees that our game is not just played on the basketball court,” said Mutombo, which is high praise coming from a man who is recognized as one of pro sports great humanitarians.