Russell Westbrook

Prior to Game 5 of the Thunder-Mavs series in the opening round of the 2016 NBA Playoffs, Dallas owner Mark Cuban delivered some head- scratching comments about Russell Westbrook.

Cuban famously claimed the Thunder point guard wasn't a superstar.

Hours later, Westbrook closed out the series with a sensational 36-point, 12-rebound, nine-assist performance that sent Dallas home for the summer and made Cuban look silly. In the postgame press conference, a reporter asked Westbrook whether he was aware of Cuban's pregame comments and inquired about Westbrook's reaction to them. Before the reporter could finish the question, Kevin Durant, sitting to Westbrook's left atop the dais inside Chesapeake Energy Arena, extended his right arm in front of Westbrook's torso and preempted his teammate's answer.

"Hold up," Durant told Westbrook before responding for him. "He's a [sic] idiot. Don't listen to s — t. He's a [sic] idiot. All right? That's what we got to say about that. He's a [sic] idiot. Next question."

Cuban didn't just set fire to his credibility. The outspoken owner disparaged and disrespected one of the game's truly great players. More than that, he disregarded an inspirational rags-to-riches route rarely seen in NBA superstars. Cuban, a self-made man himself, failed to consider where Westbrook started and just how far he had come.

By the time Cuban delivered his comical claim, Westbrook already had helped captain the Thunder to the 2012 NBA Finals, scoring 43 points in Game 4 to become only the 10 player in NBA history to reach that mark and at only 23 years old, the second youngest to do so. He also had been named to five All-NBA teams, earned five All-Star Game selections, snagged two All-Star Game MVP Awards, recorded 37 triple doubles, notched one scoring title, and paced all players with a ridiculous record of durability.

Westbrook had done all that by 27.

"I'd take him," Mavs superstar Dirk Nowitzki said. "I'd definitely take him."

But when Westbrook arrived in Oklahoma City, he was far from a sure thing. Coming out of Leuzinger High School in Lawndale, California, a suburb of Los Angeles, Westbrook was overlooked by most major Division I teams. He entered high school standing 5'8" and weighing 140 pounds. He didn't start on the varsity until his junior year. He didn't receive his first recruiting letter until the summer before his senior year, when he shot up to 6'3" and could finally dunk. Most recruiting websites didn't have Westbrook ranked among their top 100 prospects. Rivals.com listed him as a three-star recruit.

Creighton, Kent State, and San Diego showed the most interest early on. They were mid-major programs looking to land a diamond in the rough. Miami, Wake Forest, and Arizona State also showed interest. They were high-majors yet middle-of-the-road programs hoping to get lucky after the true big boys had gobbled up the top talent. Westbrook held out. He bet on himself. He averaged 25.1 points, 8.7 rebounds, and 2.3 assists while leading Leuzinger to a 25–4 record as a senior. Still, the big boys were nowhere to be found.

"I coached against Russell in summer league," said Scott Pera, a former Southern California high school coach and Arizona State assistant. "He was fast. Very unpolished. I hate to use the word reckless because I don't want to use it in a negative light, but that's how he was. He was athletic, fast, tough, but at times completely out of control. People [wondered] if all that could be reeled in and refined."

Years later, the world came to appreciate Westbrook's unbridled energy and his fondness for doing things his way. But Westbrook went against the grain from the start. He didn't play at a high school powerhouse, wasn't mentored by a prestigious prep coach, and didn't join an esteemed AAU team. Instead, he hung on to every morsel of tutelage he received from his father, Russell Westbrook Jr., a weekend warrior at inner city L.A. parks, and a select set of public school coaches. And it worked. A true basketball blue blood finally stepped up a month before Westbrook's graduation, and it sat in Westbrook's backyard. When it became clear Jordan Farmar would leave UCLA for the NBA, the Bruins had a late scholarship to offer. They handed it to Westbrook. After wearing No. 4 in high school, Westbrook had to select a new number because it was owned by Bruins standout Arron Afflalo....