SUMMARY
- Russell and Nina Westbrook recently made an appearance at the during the UCLA women's first-round NCAA Tournament matchup.
- Russell and Nina both are former UCLA basketball players, the NBA star for two seasons, 2006-07 and 2007-08, whereas, Nina played with UCLA from 2007 to 2011.
The infamous NCAA March Madness tournament which consists of 7 rounds is going on and has everyone captivated with unexpected turns, new rising players, and a celebrity-studded audience. Recently, during the UCLA women’s first-round NCAA Tournament matchup, the cameras spotted Russell and Nina Westbrook in attendance and pictures and videos of the same are making waves over the internet.
The recent match-up between the UCLA Bruins and California Baptist was one of the most interesting ones in history, to say the least. The Bruins who were playing without their star center Lauren Betts managed to have a comfortable win by a significant margin of 84-55. Notably, Kiki Rice scored 20 points and Gabriela Jaquez added 17 for this remarkable victory.
The presence of NBA star Russell and his wife Nina made UCLA’s win over California Baptist more special. Further, the team will now face No. 7, Creighton on Monday, March 25, 2024, at Pauley Pavilion in the second round of the NCAA Tournament in Regional 2 in Albany. Fans await to see which professional athletes will make an appearance during this match and if Russell and Nina will come again to show their support.
Russell and Nina Westbrook both are former UCLA basketball players
The reason why Russell and Nina Westbrook were present to support UCLA in the first-round NCAA Tournament is that both of them are former UCLA basketball players. While fans are mostly aware of Russell’s college career, there are only a few who know that his wife, Nina is a former college-level basketball player herself. She played with UCLA from 2007 to 2011.
Russell and Nina Westbrook pulled up to watch UCLA women’s first round NCAA Tournament matchup 🐻 pic.twitter.com/bb40BzhqHw
— ESPN (@espn) March 24, 2024
During her college career, Nina appeared in 124 games and averaged 5.4 points, 2.3 total rebounds, and 1.0 assists per game. On the other hand, Russell who is currently playing for the Los Angeles Clippers played at UCLA for two seasons, 2006-07 and 2007-08. He averaged 8.3 points, 2.4 total rebounds, and 2.5 assists per game and was drafted into the league by the Seattle SuperSonics as the 4th overall pick of the NBA Draft 2008.
Fans react to Russell and Nina Westbrook’s presence at the NCAA March Madness
As the pictures and videos of Russell and Nina Westbrook’s presence at the NCAA March Madness stormed the internet, fans reacted in massive numbers. It can be noticed that when the camera focused, only the name, Russell Westbrook and ‘UCLA Point Guard (2006-2008)’ was reflected. Countless fans pointed this out and commented, “Nina Westbrook UCLA Forward 2007-2011”, “And Nina Westbrook…. UCLA WBB alum”, etc.
Another fan questioned this as they said, “What about his wife? She played ball as well.” In addition to this, a fan called Russell and Nina a “power couple” while adding fire emojis. The UCLA won over California Baptist by 84-55 and it was surely a match worth watching. Talking about the same, a fan wrote, “And the results did not disappoint them,” something that countless people agree with.