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NBA Star Russell Westbrook To Open New Charter School In South LA

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – Nine-time NBA All-Star and Los Angeles native Russell Westbrook announced Wednesday he is founding a new charter school in his hometown.

The 32-year-old said he is launching the Russell Westbrook Why Not? Academy in South L.A., a middle and high school, grades 6-12.

"I plan on making sure that you guys, future kids, come in, have access to all the resources you need to be successful," Westbrook said in a video posted to his Twitter account.

The academy is being co-launched by Westbrook's Why Not? Foundation and the education nonprofit group LA Promise Fund.

Russell Westbrook
Russell Westbrook #4 of the Washington Wizards prior to a NBA basketball game against the LA Clippers at the Staples Center in Los Angeles on Tuesday, February 23, 2021. (Photo by Keith Birmingham/MediaNews Group/Pasadena Star-News via Getty Images)

Westbrook grew up in Long Beach and spent one season at UCLA before going to the NBA. He is currently a member of the Washington Wizards.

The academy will deliver "world-class education to South L.A. youth grades 6 through 12 while simultaneously developing academic achievers, athletes and activists committed to social change," The Why Not? Foundation said in a statement. "The Academy is a community hub that offers students a safe and personalized learning environment and engages parents as partners in their children's education."

It's unclear exactly when it will open or where it will be located.

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