- Nina Earl was a stellar basketball player while in high school and with this, she earned herself a sports scholarship to college
- She met her husband Russell Westbrook, a fellow basketball player in college as they were both teammates
- Earl and Russell are philanthropists who dedicate their time to catering for the less privilege
Russell Westbrook wife known as Nina Earl was a basketball player who played at UCLA. She played basketball from her childhood days and was quite good in sports generally, while in school.
33 year-old Nina played basketball as a forward. However, her love and investment in the game did not come between her and her studies then. She was as good in her academics as she was in basketball.
Earl and her husband share similar love for basketball as her husband is an American professional basketball player. Westbrook plays for the Los Angeles Lakers of the NBA. Prior to this, he played with the Oklahoma City Thunders, Washington Wizards, and Houston Rockets.
Who is Nina Earl?
Born Nina Ann-Marie Earl in Pomona, California on the 16th day of January 1989, she grew up in a close-knit family. Her parents are known as Michael Earl who was a puppeteer, voice actor, songwriter, and singer. Her mother is recognized as Jennifer Lyons.
Ann-Marie was the only girl child of 4 children. She grew up with three brothers named Michael Jr., Jonathan, and Benjamin. Earl is also cousin to Kenny Easley associated with ‘Pro Football Hall of Fame’.
She attended Diamond Ranch High School, Pomona, California. Nina then earned a sports scholarship to the University of California, Los Angeles. While in college, Earl studied and graduated with a degree in Psychology. She also minored in the English language and was very good at her studies.
She was very active in sports as she played basketball and then also participated in track and field events. Nina Earl ran 4by4 relay races and was very good at it as well.
Nina Earl Played Basketball from Her High School Days
The Pomona-born was a basketball player from her high school days. From when she schooled at Diamond Ranch, she played as a forward and started about 27 games as a freshman. Concluding her high-school career, she had 2,291 points, 906 rebounds, 298 assists, and 544 steals.
In one season, she made 15 points as a player and then went on to develop herself afterward. By her sophomore year, she had improved to making about 20.6 points and had 9.8 rebounds. The athlete started against some top college teams which include the CSUF, Oregon, and USC.
As a junior at UCLA, Anne-Marie had developed impeccable skills in the game and so became very popular. She took the UCLA Bruins team to the championship of the California Interscholastic Federation 3AA. In college, she played all the positions and was considered the fastest player in their team.
Earl began by starting off 15 out of 31 games in her senior year, the basketball player was acknowledged for taking her team to the CIF title in 2007. She also scored a total of 35 games in a game, alone.
As a member of her college basketball team, Nina played 124 games scoring 675 points, and made at least 2.3 rebounds in each game. She proved to be a formidable force as a basketball player and contributed greatly to her team’s successes.
Nina has since retired from playing basketball and has focused on a different career path. She is now more involved in non-sport-related activities but still has connections to sports.
Some Other Interesting Facts about the Former Basketball Star, Nina Earl
1. Her Relationship and Marriage to Russell Westbrook
Nina and Russell met while in college as they both played for the same college team. They became college sweethearts from then and eventually took the relationship forward. As of 2013, they were already in a committed relationship that Westbrooks even showered praises on her in an interview.
By the 4th of September 2014, the Los Angeles Laker’s point guard proposed to his college. He proposed to her with a ring worth $700,000 and made a lovely Instagram post about it.
They eventually got married on the 29th of August 2015. It was a star-studded ceremony with top basketball players in attendance. Kevin Durant and James Harden, and the queen of R&B, Keri Hilson attended the wedding. Nina wore two wedding dresses; one from Vera Wang and the other from Monique Lhuillier.
The wedding took place at the Beverly Hills Hotel and the couple was even surprised by a performance by singer Miguel.
2. She Encountered some Difficulties during Child-birth
Russell Westbrook’s marriage to Nina saw the birth of 3 kids. Their first child is a boy named Noah and he was born in May 2017. A year later, they welcomed twin daughters named Jordyn and Skye born on the 17th of November 2018.
The birth of the twins came with complications as the pregnancy was high-risk. This prompted some of her decisions as regards her activities and businesses.
Even with the complications faced during delivery, she was excited and is a very proud mother.
3. Some of Nina Earl’s Honors and Titles
As a basketball forward, Earl was so good that she won quite a number of titles and honors. She was mentioned in featured publications of ‘Street & Smith’s’ as well as in ‘Rise’.
She was also named Most Valuable Player thrice in three leagues. Nina also has ‘CIF Player of the Year’ and ‘Cal-Hi Sports All-State’ titles.
4. She is an Entrepreneur and Therapist
Russel’s wife is an entrepreneur who owns a boutique in Oklahoma City. The boutique which is a store that sells baby items and gift products for mothers is called ‘The Little Ark’. In addition to this, she offers baby classes for new parents as well as health-related courses.
As a graduate of Psychology who also mastered Clinical Psychology, Anne-Marie specializes in family therapy. She is a licensed therapist who offers marriage and family therapy to couples and families. Mrs. Westbrook’s therapy brand is called ‘Bene’ which is a Latin word for ‘Wellness’.
5. Westbrook is a Philanthropist
The former athlete is a philanthropist who is invested in helping people. She is involved in several charities including Russell Westbrook’s ‘Why Not’ founded in 2012. The aim of the foundation was to be a magnet school for underserved youths in the region.
With the foundation, she helps vulnerable and underprivileged children. She also organizes Thanksgiving events where she gets to provide meals to children who are needy.
READ ALSO: Yekaterina Lisina; 10 Interesting Facts About The Russian Model and Basketballer
6. Russell Westbrook’s Wife Clapped Back Stephen A. Smith
American TV personality, Stephen A. Smith accused Nina’s husband of ‘stat-padding’. After a game in 2021 where Westbrook received all-around applause for breaking the NBA’s triple-double record, he received a slam from the presenter.
Stephen said he wasn’t impressed about the feat and went ahead to criticize the basketballer’s achievement. Smith stated that Russell played against teams that ‘fall short’. He insinuated that if the player was as good as claimed, he should have achieved greater feats.
The Laker’s point guard however did not immediately respond to him but his wife did. Earl went full out on the American personality and told him off. On her Instagram post, she made it clear that her husband was worth more than any Championship and that the TV star’s mean words were not going to diminish his talent.
In a lengthy post which was subsequently echoed by her husband, Nina blasted Stephen by insisting that her husband doesn’t care about his opinions.
7. Nina Shares in Russel Westbrook’s Net Worth
Though a businesswoman and a therapist, it is unsure what Nina Earl is worth. However, her husband who once played for the Oklahoma City Thunder has a net worth of $170 million. Therefore, more than their love, she also shares in her husband’s huge net worth. Earl’s husband is an 8-time NBA star and a 2-time NBA All-star Game Most Valuable Player.
