Russell Westbrook Schools Nickelodeon’s Henry Danger

It’s been a tough start of the season for Oklahoma City Thunder star Russell Westbrook. He fractured his hand late last month, which required surgery. He’ll be sidelined for a few more weeks at least. But there’s a bright spot in the all-star’s fall. On Saturday, Westbrook stops by Nickelodeon’s Henry Danger in a memorable role as a… 14-year-old basketball player?

You’ll have to watch the show to find out what that’s all about. But earlier this week, SI Kids learned a little more when we talked with Westbrook about his role, what it was like filming the episode, and the Nick Shows he watched as a kid.

Check out the Q&A below, but first, watch this exclusive clip from the episode:






Can you talk me through this clip and the episode? What’s going on? 

On the show I’m supposed to be a 14-year-old on the middle school team. I’m there because the coach takes the little puppy that I have on the show and forces me to play. I kind of show up Henry Danger. 

Were you a natural on camera or did it take some time for you to feel comfortable? 

I was fine. It was my first actual shoot, but I was all right. I thought I did pretty well. 

Did you mess up any lines or scenes?

Oh, for sure. We had days to rehearse and things like that, so when we actually recorded I was fine. I said the lines enough to memorize them, so I was good. 

How long did it take you to prep to film the scene? 

Like two days, two eight-hour days. They were long days. 

Was there a cast member who was most helpful to you? 

I mean, all the kids were great. I had a great, great time with the kids, and I think they all have so much energy, it kind of helped me get through those long days. So they were good. 

What’s your best memory from filming this episode? 

I would just say the overall experience for me was different and fun. I was kind of taking everything in being in that space. Being an actor is different than the space I’m usually in as a basketball player, so I was taking it in and kind of going with the flow. The whole thing was a great memory for me. 

I’m sure it still takes a ton of work to film a 30-minute TV show, just like it takes time to prepare for a game. What were you most impressed while you were on the set? 

How you can make different rooms and courts and stuff look like how you see it on TV. It’s all in one big warehouse and you see all the different sets and the camera moving around, but you look at it from a TV standpoint it looks different and I was kind of amazed at how they made that happen. 

Did you have a favorite Nickelodeon TV show growing up? 

I liked All That, Rugrats, The Wild Thornberrys. I watched Keenan and Kel. That’s about it. 

When you were growing up watching Nickelodeon, did you ever think that you would appear on a show or appear on TV? 

Never in my life. It’s so crazy to have the opportunity to be on shows and be on Nickelodeon – on a channel that I watched when I was a little kid – I’m honored to be able to do that. 

Do you think this appearance was the beginning of your acting career? 

I hope so. Any opportunity that comes my way I’m blessed to be able to get. I’m glad the show gave me a little cameo. 


Russell Westbrook appears on Saturday’s episode of Henry Danger, airing on Nickelodeon at 8 p.m. ET. 

Photo: Lisa Rose/Nickelodeon