Retired NBA star Russell Westbrook is set to host the sixth annual Why Not? Foundation Poker Night on Friday, September 18, marking the fundraiser's first year at Fontainebleau Las Vegas. The event moves into the resort's members-only Poodle Room, with tournament seats priced at $10,000 and general admission tickets set at $1,500.
The move to the Las Vegas Strip resort comes just weeks after Westbrook officially retired from professional basketball following 18 NBA seasons, according to KLAS 8 News Now. Westbrook, a former NBA MVP, played for seven franchises over the course of his career, including the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings. Per ESPN, Westbrook's retirement closed out a career that left him as the league's all-time leader in regular-season triple-doubles, a record built in part during his 2016-17 MVP season with the Thunder, when he became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1962 to average a triple-double for a full season, as reported by The Guardian.
Westbrook founded the Why Not? Foundation in 2012, and the organization focuses on education, workforce development, and mental health and wellness programs for underserved communities. Westbrook has said the poker night is a cornerstone of his work supporting underserved youth, and he described his retirement as a new opportunity for impact, according to the same KLAS report. He also said basketball gave him a platform and purpose that helped him reimagine what is possible.
A Bigger Stage on the Strip
This year's tournament is a charity event rather than a cash tournament, and it will be co-hosted by Westbrook's wife, Nina Westbrook, alongside poker reporter Drea Renee. World Poker Tour commentator Vince Van Patten will also co-host, per the station's account. The evening opens with a poker skills refresher at 5:30 p.m. before the official poker night and entertainment begins at 6 p.m., with all attendees required to be at least 21 years old.
A $10,000 tournament seat includes player entry, general admission for two guests, and a one-night stay at Fontainebleau Las Vegas, while the $1,500 general admission ticket covers the ticket holder and one guest. The tournament awards prizes to winners, and past editions have featured high-value auction and prize packages, including courtside Denver Nuggets game seats and a private basketball lesson with Westbrook himself, according to PokerNews.
Past participants have included poker pros Maria Ho and Jason Koon alongside NBA figures Chris Paul and DeMar DeRozan, and last year's event drew Princess Love, DeAndre Jordan, and Vegas Golden Knights goaltender Adin Hill, the article notes. The gathering brings together professional poker players, celebrities, athletes, and supporters for a night built around the foundation's mission rather than a traditional card room payout.
Fontainebleau's Exclusive Poodle Room
The Poodle Room, the invite-only members social club hosting this year's event, sits on the top floor of the 67-story Fontainebleau Las Vegas tower — the tallest occupiable building in Nevada, according to Fontainebleau Las Vegas. The lounge pays homage to a 1954 South Beach Miami hangout tied to the original Fontainebleau resort. The venue marks a step up from the tournament's previous home at Wynn Las Vegas, where 2024 entry packages ran $7,500 for players and $1,200 for gala-only attendees, according to Poker.org.
The tournament is held in partnership with the World Poker Tour Foundation, which has raised more than $50 million across more than 50 philanthropic events since its 2012 launch, according to the WPT Foundation. The Why Not? Foundation Poker Night itself has raised more than $2 million to date, per the World Poker Tour.
Where the Money Goes
The Why Not? Foundation's community work extends well beyond poker tables. Westbrook founded the organization in 2012 to fund education, workforce development, and mental health initiatives in Greater Los Angeles and Oklahoma City, including an annual Thanksgiving food distribution that delivers 1,000 meals to families in need, as Hoodline previously reported in coverage of a community court dedication at South LA's Jesse Owens Park.
One of the foundation's most visible investments is Westbrook Academy, a South Los Angeles public charter school co-founded with the LA Promise Fund. The school's Class of 2026 achieved a 100% graduation rate, according to the LA Promise Fund. In September 2025, Westbrook and the organization opened a permanent, renovated campus for the school in South Gate, California, featuring science labs, a film studio, and two on-site wellness centers — a facility that replaced temporary sites the school had used previously in South Los Angeles.
With his playing days behind him, Westbrook has framed this chapter as a continuation of the same purpose that defined his time on the court. Whether the foundation eventually expands its footprint beyond Los Angeles and Oklahoma City remains an open question, but for now, the sixth annual poker night stands as its next major fundraising push.
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