One year after helping to induct Oklahoma City Thunder teammate Kevin Durant into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame, Russell Westbrook will be joining him.
Westbrook, along with Henryetta native and Dallas Cowboy great Troy Aikman and five other Oklahomans, was announced as a 2016 inductee Thursday afternoon at a luncheon hosted by the Oklahoma Hall of Fame at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum.
“Being inducted into the Oklahoma Hall of Fame is the single-highest honor an individual can receive from our state,” said Shannon L. Rich, president and CEO of the Oklahoma Hall of Fame and Gaylord-Pickens Museum, in a press release. “The recognition of our state’s greatest asset — our people — is the foundation upon which our organization was created.”
Westbrook will be honored at the 89th Oklahoma Hall of Fame Banquet & Induction Ceremony Nov. 17, at the Cox Convention Center in Oklahoma City, according to the press release.
During his 2015 induction speech, Durant said that he would like to come back the following year to induct Westbrook and it looks like he will get his wish.
After being drafted by the Thunder in 2008, Westbrook has spent his entire career with Oklahoma City and has helped to establish several charitable organizations in the community. His “Why Not? Foundation” helps to support community-based education and family service programs throughout the state. Westbrook has also opened several “Russell’s Reading Rooms” around Oklahoma to encourage children to read as well as serving Thanksgiving meals to the homeless and giving away gifts to children during the holiday times.
For his efforts, Westbrook was recognized with the NBA’s season-long Community Assist award in 2015.
Along with being honored at the formal induction ceremony, the 2016 class will also have their portraits unveiled at the Gaylord-Pickens Museum in November.
Information on the rest of the 2016 inductees can be found on the Oklahoma Hall of Fame's official website. Tickets for the ceremony will go on sale Aug. 26.
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