What We Know About Russell Westbrook’s Wife: Nina Earl

Russell Westbrook will go down as an NBA legend. He holds the record for most triple-doubles in his career, hence the nickname ‘Mr. Triple double.’ Westbrook has played for the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockers and Washington Wizards and recently joined the Los Angeles Lakers, where he hopes to win a championship ring.

Nina Earl’s Instagram activity foreshadowed Russell’s move to Los Angeles. Fans noted that Lakers megastars Anthony Davis and LeBron James had followed Nina Earl, the wife of Russell Westbrook, on Instagram before the team announced the trade. The following confirmed that, contrary to expectations, Russell would be linking up with King James and The Brow.

Let’s find out more about Russell Westbrook’s wife, Nina Earl.

Russell and his wife Nina met while playing basketball at UCLA.

Nina Earl was born on January 16, 1989 to Jennifer Lyons and Michael Earl. She has three brothers: Benjamin, Michael, and Jonathan.

Earl’s athletic prowess shone through during his time at Diamond Ranch High School. She was a multi-sport athlete, but basketball took precedence. Nina led her team to two California Interscholastic Federation title games, once winning CIF Player of the Year.

His efforts earned him an athletic scholarship to UCLA, where he continued to shine on the field. Nina could play any position and was one of the fastest players on the team.

Nina and Russell met while playing basketball for UCLA. They began dating and have remained together to this day. In an interview with ESPN In 2013, Russell praised Nina:

But she is a smart girl. She’s in school right now, trying to get her master’s in psychology. She knows what she wants to do in life, which is great. That’s easy for me to handle.”

On September 4, 2014, Russell proposed to her old boyfriend. “Nothing matters,” Russell captioned a photo of Nina with her ring. “Forever my lady! I LOVE YOU!!!” Nina’s engagement ring cost Westbrook a luscious $700,000.

Russell and Nina got married in Beverly Hills almost a year after the proposal. “My lady… 8.29.15… #Westbrookwedding,” Russell announced on Instagram.

NBA stars like Kevin Durant, Serge Ibaka and James Harden attended the wedding. R&B queen Keri Hilson was also a witness at the wedding.

Lauryn Hill and D’Angelo’s Nothing matters played while Russell and Nina danced for the first time as a married couple. The couple and their wedding guests were later treated to a surprise performance by Miguel.

Earl experienced unexpected complications when he welcomed the couple’s second and third children.

Nina Earl’s Instagram page features occasional photos of her and Westbrook’s three children: Noah, Jordyn and Skye. Noah had an uneventful birth in May 2017. A year later, Nina and Russell announced they were expecting twins via a YouTube video posted by the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Nina spoke of her excitement at the prospect of welcoming two girls. “If Noah gets out of hand, you can both jump on him at the same time,” she gushed. “You know having two girls is exciting in and of itself, but just being able to be blessed and have more kids, I think that’s a complete blessing,” Russell added.

The couple welcomed Jordyn and Skye on November 17, 2018. Unlike the birth of her older brother, the twins’ birth nearly ended in disaster when Nina was met with unexpected birth complications. In mid-April 2021, Nina wrote on Instagram:

“The reality is that my pregnancy with Skye and Jordyn was high risk and we had unforeseen complications during the delivery which was really scary. I feel very lucky that we had the care that we did, but it pains me to know that a woman dies of pregnancy-related causes every 12 hours and that 60% of those deaths are preventable.”

Earl spoke about the twin’s complicated delivery as part of a March of Dimes campaign to raise awareness about America’s discriminatory healthcare system. “Uneven access to good healthcare leads to higher rates of maternal and child health complications for Black mothers and their babies,” added Nina.

Fortunately, Nina and the babies survived the terrifying birth. Nina regularly posts her family on her Instagram. “Locked up on game day,” Nina captioned an April 2021 photo of the family sitting in the stands cheering on Russell.

Nina runs a mental health wellness brand called Bene and a children’s clothing store called The Little Ark.

Nina earned a bachelor’s and master’s degree in psychology from UCLA. Earl is a licensed marriage and family therapist who offers mental wellness workshops through her company Bene de ella de ella.

Bene is Latin for well-being. A search of Bene’s website reveals that the company offers advice on physical and mental health. The company’s ‘our story’ section reads:

“Nina Westbrook is a licensed marriage and family therapist who offers exclusive mental health e-workshops with the goal of supporting women and youth on their unique journey to physical and emotional well-being.”

Before launching Bene, Nina operated a children’s clothing store called the small ark. The store has an Oklahoma outlet where people can buy clothes, books and snacks for moms and babies. It also offers CPR courses, story time, musical activities and cooking classes for children.

“I also wanted to incorporate classes because I am very used, in my career as a marriage and family therapist, to working with groups of people; with children, adults and students. Somehow I wanted to have a space where I could incorporate that aspect of my life.”

Nina is also an active member of Russell Westbrook Why Not? Base. She has been photographed with her husband serving meals during the foundation’s annual Thanksgiving event.

Nina clapped back at Stephen A. Smith after he accused Westbrook of stat-boosting

In 2021, Russell Westbrook broke the NBA triple-double record. He received a round of applause for breaking a record set by Oscar Robertson decades ago, but NBA pundit Stephen A. Smith was unimpressed. “And this is the thing about Westbrook’s big night: I don’t give a damn,” Smith said.

Smith was critical of Russell’s achievement and criticized him for playing on teams that fall short. “If Russell Westbrook was a better 3-point shooter, can you imagine what he would have done? I’m here to tell you that he would have won a championship by now,” Smith added.

Nina Earl came to her husband’s defense in an impassioned Instagram post criticizing Stephen A. Smith and commentators in general for badmouthing basketball talent. She talked about a UCLA commentator telling Russell that he wouldn’t make it in the NBA.

“Imagine if I had heard it,” Russell told Nina. Earl criticized Smith for trying to diminish Russell’s achievements. “Never let anyone else value your talent,” Nina wrote. “My husband is the ultimate example of how you can defy the odds in every way.” She added:

Russell is happier than ever. Not having a championship doesn’t “hurt him a lot.” You don’t know anything about him. If you did, you would know that it is much, much, much more than a championship. He is a champion of life. He doesn’t care about YOUR championship, and he certainly doesn’t care about YOUR opinion.

Russell echoed Nina’s comments in his response to Stephen Smith’s comments. He admonished college basketball commentators for saying negative things about young prospects, which affects their career paths.

Westbrook downplayed his lack of a championship, saying his legacy lies in what he’s done off the court. He sees himself as a champion for coming to the NBA and using his platform to help the community. Part of his lengthy statement read:

“As I said before, a championship does not change my life. I’m happy. I grew up on the streets. I’m a champion. I don’t have to be an NBA champion. I know a lot of people who have won NBA championships who are miserable, they have done nothing for their community, they have done nothing for the people of our world. My legacy is what I do off the field, how many people I can impact and inspire.”

Categories: Biography
Source: vcmp.edu.vn