Russell Westbrook Says His Parents’ Relationship Informed His Marriage, Never Saw Them ‘Disagree'

The parents of Russell Westbrook set the tone for how the Denver Nuggets star views healthy relationships.

The NBA player sat down with his wife, marriage and family therapist Nina Westbrook, for the August 12 episode of her podcast, Do Tell Relationship, and was quizzed about how his parents' relationship shaped his outlook on marriage. Westbrook's parents, Russell Westbrook Sr. and Shannon Horton, also share a son, Raynard.

Around the 26-minute mark, the professional basketball player told his wife that it was seeing his parents work together that molded his mindset around relationships.

"I think that's one of the biggest things that I was able to see growing up and mom working, dad working, kind of working through our schedule," he said. "Every time there was a sporting event for myself and my brother, they both were there. Going to practice, we went together. My dad [worked] different shifts, [but] we ate together."

Westbrook added that he watched his parents "navigate" the balance of parenthood with marriage and never saw them have a conflict.

"As I mentioned to you, like, I don't remember seeing them, like, disagree, which I'm sure they done growing up," Westbrook said. "I don't remember it. And maybe that was intentional, but it kind of helped me see–at least from a male's perspective–like, okay, what my dad is, how he treats my mom or how relationship, like, he things he do and you know, for a family and different things like that."

"So it allowed me to kind of get like a base of, Okay, this is what I should be aspired to kind of look at in a relationship, and then kind of obviously build my relationship based off my own personal experiences."

Westbrook added that the representation of a "successful relationship" was "helpful" to him growing up, although his friends "didn't have that" model.

The example paid off, as Westbrooks and his wife married in August 2015 and will soon celebrate their ten-year anniversary. The couple share three children: a son, Noah, 8, and twin daughters, Skye and Jordyn, 6.