Russell Westbrook Gives Back to UCLA

LOS ANGELES -The UCLA Athletic Department is pleased to announce a significant financial contribution from NBA All-Star Russell Westbrook to its Mo Ostin Basketball Center project – the largest by a former basketball student-athlete in school history. In honor of Russell's gift, the UCLA Men's Basketball practice floor inside the program's new state-of-the-art facility will be known moving forward as Russell Westbrook Court.

UCLA will formally recognize Russell's generosity and welcome him back to Pauley Pavilion when the Bruins face the Arizona Wildcats on January 7. Russell, along with wife Nina (Earl) Westbrook – a former UCLA women's basketball student-athlete – and parents Russell and Shannon Westbrook, will be sitting courtside and honored at the Bruins' Pac-12 Conference home opener. Additionally, to commemorate the evening, all fans in attendance will receive complimentary eyeglass frames, a trademark of Russell's at post-game NBA press conferences, courtesy of Wescom.

"Russell isn't merely a dominant force in the NBA, he's a force to be reckoned with in the community as well,” said Director of Athletics Dan Guerrero. “While his Why Not? Foundation's mission is to inspire the lives of children and teach them to never give up, the fact of the matter is, having witnessed firsthand and from afar his growth over the years, Russell himself is an inspiration. We could not be more proud of his leadership both on and off the court since he left Westwood, and I know the Bruin faithful will be excited to welcome him back home next month and thank him for this tremendous gift.”

Westbrook, who played in all 75 games during his two-year career at UCLA, helped lead the Bruins to back-to-back Final Four appearances in 2007 and 2008, averaged 12.7 points, 3.9 rebounds and 4.3 assists as a sophomore before being selected by the Seattle Supersonics with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft. Named to the 2008 Pac-10 All-Tournament Team following UCLA's victory over Stanford in the conference championship game, the Leuzinger HS (Lawndale) alum led the Bruins to a 35-4 overall record, regular season Pac-10 title and the school's first No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament since 1995.

"I loved my time at UCLA and jumped at the opportunity to give back to the University that provided me with amazing opportunities and great memories,” said Westbrook. “I am truly honored to be part of the legacy that is Bruin basketball.”

Currently in his seventh NBA season with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook, a four-time NBA All-Star and the reigning NBA scoring champion, has earned Second Team All-NBA honors in four of the past five seasons and was named Most Valuable Player of the 2015 NBA All-Star Game this past February.

Westbrook is the NBA's first player since Michael Jordan in 1989, to record four consecutive triple-doubles following a 49-point, 16-rebound, 10 assist performance against Philadelphia on March 4, 2015 – and the first since Jordan to have back-to-back triple-doubles that same season while scoring at least 40 points. Westbrook is a two-time member of the United States Men's Basketball National Team, having helped Team USA to gold medal at both the 2010 FIBA World Championship in Turkey and the 2012 Summer Olympics in London.

"When you have a letter-winner give back to your program, it's always extremely meaningful,” said Head Men's Basketball Coach Steve Alford. “But when that individual is named Russell Westbrook, a familiar face here in the offseason who also happens to be one of the game's greatest players – and he's making the largest financial contribution of any basketball letter-winner in school history – that's a game-changer. We often talk to our guys about leadership and are always looking around for various examples, but now, when we move into our new facility, we'll look no further than the name on the floor. I cannot thank Russell enough for taking a leading role in the evolution of UCLA Basketball.”

In spring 2014, the UCLA Athletic Department announced a campaign to raise private funds for a comprehensive new on-campus basketball training and performance facility that will house the men's and women's basketball programs. Russell's gift joins, among others, the $10 million lead gift from legendary music industry executive and philanthropist Morris "Mo" Ostin for whom the building will be named.

Located near Pauley Pavilion at the south end of the Los Angeles Tennis Center, the planned state-of-the-art facility will include separate courts for both the men's and women's programs, locker rooms, athletic training areas, a strength and conditioning facility, coaches' offices, team meeting rooms, equipment rooms and video rooms among various amenities while incorporating several elements paying homage to the rich history of UCLA Basketball.

Including Russell's commitment, the UCLA Athletic Department has now totaled in excess of $17 million in private funds towards the Mo Ostin Basketball Center, which broke ground this past August. UCLA Athletics is in the process of working to reach a total of $25 million in private funding before the project's anticipated completion in 2017.

Russell joins a list of former notable UCLA letter-winners to make major gifts during UCLA's $4.2 billion Centennial Campaign that includes Troy Aikman, Eric Byrnes, John Peterson, Gerrit Cole, Marcedes Lewis, Drew Bennett and Kevin Chappell.

The UCLA Athletic Department aims to surpass its $260 million goal by 2019, for which more than $170 million in private philanthropic gifts have already been committed.

Additional naming opportunities for the Mo Ostin Basketball Center remain. For more information or to become involved in the campaign at any philanthropic level, contact the UCLA Athletics Development Office at 310-206-3302, or visit www.UCLABasketballFacility.com.

To inquire about ticket availability for the Jan. 7 game, please call 310-UCLA-WIN (310-825-2946).