Russell Westbrook and James Harden Reveal Nipsey Hussle Planned to Start a Sports Agency
Written by SOURCE on February 18, 2020
James Harden and Russell Westbrook sat down for a wide-ranging interview with GQ, where they talked about their friendship with the ate Nipsey Hussle. The Houston Rockets teammates recalled learning of his death, and discussed some of his unfinished business.
“Hearing the news, James was one of the first calls I made,” Westbrook explained. “There was no hesitation about it because we understand his impact, what he was doing and why. We understand who he was. It wasn’t no fluff. Now the rest of the world understands.”
Harden revealed that he had just had dinner with Nipsey prior to his death. “A couple days before he passed, I had rented a house in L.A., and he pulled up by himself—no security, no nothing. Beats [by Dre] set a whole dinner up,” he said. “They came and cooked at the house, and we were talking. He had a deal with a casino.”
After bringing up the deal Nip had with a Vegas casino, Harden revealed Nip’s plans for a Marathon Sports agency. “So me, him, and [James’ manager] Zo and all the homies, we were just talking about it,” Harden said. “We just had an in-depth conversation, smoking a cigar in the back, just chopping it up about how big we can make this. And then one day I’m sitting back in Vegas, and I get the phone call, and I’m like, ‘It’s impossible.'”
Harden said that the dream for the sports agency lives on. “I still want to figure out how to make [the agency] happen,” he explained. “Like, that’s one of my goals.”
The sprawling interview also touched on their time together with the Oklahoma City Thunder, and how close they came to winning a championship. “Man, hell yeah. I was there for three seasons. Every team that we lost to won the chip,” he said when asked if they could have won if they remained together. “My third year we lost in the Finals. And we just came off USA Basketball, won a gold medal. It was destined. But shit happens.”
Read the entire interview here.
