Inside Look at Russell Westbrook's Newly Renovated Westbrook Academy Campus

Russell Westbrook plays for the Denver Nuggets, but remains a community hero in Los Angeles.

Denver Nuggets guard Russell Westbrook reveals his new Westbrook Academy facility. / ANS Photography

Russell Westbrook took an early flight to Denver on Tuesday morning where he will join his new team for media day on Thursday. Spending the last three seasons playing in his hometown of Los Angeles, Westbrook joined the Denver Nuggets this summer.

On his last day in Los Angeles for the offseason, Westbrook opened the newly renovated Westbrook Academy campus in South Gate. Along with his family, Why Not? Foundation partners, and over 400 students, Westbrook celebrated this big day with a ribbon cutting ceremony.

“To the kids, all this if for you guys,” Westbrook said in a speech before cutting the ribbon. “To your families, to your loved ones, all this here is for you. I do everything I do for the kids, for the community, for the underserved.”

Westbrook continued, saying, “I’m grateful to be able to stand here and give you guys an opportunity to further your education, further your mental health, further your mental wellness, and be something great in life and do things people say you cannot do.”

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This emphasis on students furthering their mental health and wellness was very evident at Monday’s event. Along with science labs, a film studio, a student lounge/library, and more, this newly renovated Westbrook Academy facility includes two wellness centers designed to support academic and personal growth.

During a tour of the facility, Russell and Nina Westbrook provided an up-close look at one of these wellness centers. The Westbrooks were joined throughout the tour by Gabby Lopez, one of the academy’s high school seniors, and she was able to share how this wellness center has directly impacted her.

“This was very needed for us,” Gabby said. “We didn’t have one before. Students being very emotional, where they can come here and talk about their emotions with our school social workers and our school therapists. I know a lot of our students have already utilized these resources, and I know I have a couple of times just to talk about how I was feeling. If I was feeling sad and maybe didn’t want to talk about that with my friends, I could come and speak with a trusted adult. We have so many on campus, and I have two next to me.”

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This room was named after Nina Westbrook’s mental health and wellness community, Bene by Nina.

“Whether it’s at home or at school or on their team, we want to make sure we’re able to wrap all of our services around them and tackle their mental health,” Nina said. “Which is gonna help make them more successful academically... Mental health and wellness is such a huge pillar for our foundation, so this is very important.”

The tour included another inside look at the facility’s empowerment center named after the parents of Westbrook’s partner and longtime friend, Donnell Beverly. The president or Russell Westbrook Enterprises, Beverly joined Westbrook in partnering with LA Promise Fund to launch the Westbrook Academy in 2021.

Surprising Beverly by dedicating this empowerment center to his parents, Westbrook got emotional while saying, “He may not like this, but I brought him and his sister here, I’m dedicating this empowerment center to your mom and to your dad. I love you bro.”

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The Beverly-Toliver center, named after the late Donnell Beverly Sr. and Leisa Toliver, is another student-focused resource center that Westbrook called the “focal point” of this facility.

Throughout the tour, Westbrook and his partners revealed several murals inspired by social justice leaders and Los Angeles based heroes including Rosa Parks, Kobe Bryant, Cesar Chavez, and Nipsey Hussle.

“This is just the start,” Westbrook said during a stop on the tour. “We have so many things coming in the future… We added phase two, a community center that will entail so many different great things for the kids, for their future, and I’m grateful for where we are.”

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Showing a display of how this campus will evolve, Westbrook revealed a detailed look at the upcoming community center that will include outdoor and indoor sporting facilities along with other major renovations.

Wrapping up the morning, Westbrook interacted with several attendees and students who were incredibly excited to see what this campus has become and how it plans to grow.

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