Newly signed Denver Nuggets point guard Russell Westbrook was in California to celebrate the grand reopening of the newly expanded Westbrook Academy campus.
According to Fox Los Angeles, the Long Beach native returned to South Los Angeles on Sept. 23 to cut the ribbon to the campus with his wife, Nina. The school is located in South Gate and is home to over 400 middle and high school students from the area. Westbrook Academy was launched in partnership with the L.A. Promise Fund.
“Having grown up in Los Angeles, knowing the resources I didn’t have. And having an opportunity to partner with L.A. Promise to bring something like this to South LA for their kids, for their families…what’s most important is education,” Westbrook stated.
The school was initially launched in 2021
under the ‘Why Not?’ moniker and was slated to operate on a community school model. Many of the resources are connected to the school, students, and their families to ensure their comprehensive well-being. Students are offered the right support in the areas of career exposure like internships and dual enrollment community college classes; wellness programs to promote mental health, nutrition, and physical health; college advising through field trips, test prep, and application assistance; and robust enrichment programs in athletics, Science, Technology, Math and Engineering, and leadership cultivation.It was an accomplishment for the former LA Clippers player to open the middle and high school to help the students in the area.
“I’m LA to the core, and I want to represent LA wherever I go,” Westbrook said. “To me, legacy is what you leave behind, not just for my family, but for the people you touch along the way, along your journey. And God has blessed me with this opportunity and platform to be able to do so. And I want to help as many people as possible.”
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