NBA player Russell Westbrook aspires to become a billionaire “sooner than later.”
In an exclusive discussion with Forbes, the Los Angeles Clippers point guard wants to join the company of fellow athletes LeBron James, Tiger Woods, and former player Michael Jordan in achieving billionaire status. He is a little more than a third of the way there, as the media outlet estimates his net worth currently sits at $375 million.
Westbrook said he lives by the mantra, “Why not?’ I live by that. It took 75 years for somebody to average a triple-double. Well, I did it four times,” the former MVP continued.
His current salary allowed him to make the Forbes World’s Highest-Paid Athletes list at No. 14, making him the fourth highest-paid basketball player behind James, Stephen Curry, and former teammate Kevin Durant. Out of an estimated $82.1 million he
pulled in over the last 12 months, $35 million stems from endorsements.Not to mention Russell Westbrook Enterprises (RWE), which he started three years ago. When he is not guiding his basketball team on the court, he is propelling his company forward, according to one of his business partners who said, “He is intimately involved in every transaction. I am amazed at how much he participates in all decisions.”
His company’s current clientele includes AT&T, Nike, PepsiCo, American Airlines, Varo Bank, and A+E Networks. The Clippers player’s recently launched digital advertising business, RW Digital, created to help brands reach diverse audiences, is projected to bring in $37 million in revenue this year.
With his sights set on reaching that billionaire high point, he knows his work is cut out for him.
“It’s what I want to be,” Westbrook says. “In the business realm, that is a pinnacle that people where I come from don’t make it to.”
With his playing days nearly completed, Westbrook is ready to lead his business team down that financial court of success.