Injured Russell Westbrook’s March Madness Visit Uncovers Wife Nina’s UCLA History

The official X handle of ‘NCAA March Madness’ recently uploaded a video featuring LA Clippers point guard Russell Westbrook showing up to watch the recent game between UC Irvine and the Gonzaga Bulldogs Women’s Basketball Team. Sitting alongside him was his wife, Nina Earl. The couple highlighted their support for the UCLA team by donning a jacket/hoodie bearing the team’s name and logo.

Despite the fact that the Clippers are set to face off against the 76ers within the next few hours, Westbrook is not expected to be on the court as he recovers from his hand injury. Therefore, what better way to pass the time than to be a spectator for another basketball game? While the player could have chosen to catch up on any basketball game, he chose UCLA probably due to the significance it holds for himself and for his wife.

Nina Earl/Westbrook herself boasts of coming from a basketball background. After an illustrious career in high school, she devoted her college years to UCLA. Along with pursuing a degree in psychology, she also acted as a forward for the University’s Women’s Basketball Team. It was during her here that she would go on to meet the future 9x NBA All-Star player.

Nina had a significant college career to her name. During a four-year period, she represented UCLA in over 124 games. Her freshman year kicked off well, with the player being ranked the 2nd best on her team and 20th in terms of scoring in the overall Pac-10. While her average score was not more than 8.7 points that year, she still led the team’s scoring effort on 5 occasions and even scored in the double digits in 11 games. Her first ‘double-double’ was recorded during a game against Arizona, during which she recorded 23 points and 10 rebounds. While Nina also had her moments during the next three years, her average took a steep drop by the end.

Even though Nina’s basketball aspirations may not have met expectations, she still went on to establish a successful career as a licensed marriage and family therapist.

Nina Earl stopped playing basketball with Russell Westbrook because of his ‘cheating’ nature

While the University of California gave a platform to Nina Earl to hone her basketball skills, it allowed Russell Westbrook the start he needed to jumpstart his basketball career. As fate would have it, both the players ended up establishing a bond through their mutual love of basketball while studying at the same college. While they may have gone a few rounds against each other on the court, Nina soon learned that she would not want to repeat that.

During an interview with ‘Access Hollywood’ back in 2020, Nina shone some light on how her relationship with the future Clippers star began. She highlighted that the beginning was “fun” for both of them and that the couple would often spar in a game of hoops.

“I’d beat Russell one-on-one. I had to stop playing him because he became a cheater” Nina said jokingly. “So I’m like ‘If the only way you can beat me is by cheating, then we don’t need to play anymore.” Call it for the best, for, the two found their calling and each other to walk a coveted path.

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