10 “How Did He Do That” Russell Westbrook Gifs

Oklahoma City Thunder All-Star point guard, fashionista and new dog owner, Russell Westbrook, turns 25 today. The Long Beach, California native has wowed us at UCLA and in the pros with his thunderous assaults on the hoop, so it’s only fair we show you 10 plays that still have us shaking our heads in wonder.

We’ll often caterwaul the moment Westbrook reaches that top gear as he’s winding his way through the defense on a semi-transition run. He’ll appear to be moving in regular time, with everyone else stuck in the slog of slow-mo, and before you know it, he’s either trying to tear the rim off with a dunk, or nestling an acrobatic layup off the glass. His game is part performance piece, and part carnival exhibition, and we’re the lucky spectators to his Fun House that’s more House of Doom if you’re unlucky enough to be matched up opposite him.

He’s hitting the quarter-century mark today, so we’re taking a trip down memory lane to look at 10 plays that made us turn to our companions to ask, “How did he do that?” Only Russ knows, but the origins don’t matter. The simple fact Russ exists at all makes us immeasurably happy as basketball fans. Enough with the prelude, lets get to it.

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First off, there is more than one way Russ can make us turn to our friends and say, “How did he do that?”

There’s the passing, which he’s not known for, but which still makes us surge with adrenalin because he can deftly throw a behind-the-back pass like it ain’t no thing.

Then there are the blocks, like this one against his old OKC mate.

Or this one on a driving Eric Bledsoe.

But Russ can also shake-n-bake, like he does here after freezing Kirk Hinrich with a deadly crossover.

Russ can finish without slamming it home, too.

Russ was a precocious dunker, starting out at UCLA before graduating to smashing the ball in a way that’s most aesthetically pleasing to watch in slow motion.

Who can forget Russell’s 2012 ASG dunk? We know we can’t.

Oh God, and the windmill…so pretty and powerful at the same time.

Also, when he turns the corner after the pick, you might wanna just give up…

Omer Asik certainly wonders how Russ does Russ.

These are just a smattering of Westbrook plays. There are too many to choose from already, and that gets even harder when talking about Westbrook’s Game 4 performance against the Heat. He knocked down a Jordan-esque 20 field goals in the tough loss (20-for-33, which we know by heart) for 43 points, so we’ll just end with the highlights from that whole game because #WhyNot?