OKC Thunder Trivia: uncovering 50 fun, surprising and random facts

Russell Westbrook plays for his late friend.

At Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California, Russell Westbrook befriended an up-and-coming basketball star named Khelcey Barrs III. Barrs was a promising talent who had scouts from across the nation tossing his name around as a future MVP.

When he was only 16 years old, Barrs collapsed on the floor of the Los Angeles Southwest College gymnasium during a scrimmage. Despite attempts at resuscitation, Barrs did not survive. Before graduating high school, and before a chance at his NBA dreams, Barrs became the victim of an enlarged heart—a condition no one knew he had.

After Barrs’ death, Westbrook turned into a different kind of player. Assistant Coach Chris Young told Vice Sports:

"“Russell is living his dream for his friend…I believe Khelcey’s energy is in Russell, pushing him to be the MVP of the NBA…. The situation with Khelcey, I’m almost 100 percent sure that even tonight, even today, that happening gives him that extra drive, that extra push. It will never allow him to quit, just because of that.”"