"Outside of his family, Russell Westbrook probably can count on one hand those who believed in him.

There was Reggie Hamilton, the man who gave Westbrook his first shot at organized basketball back in Los Angeles-area pee-wee leagues.

There was Reggie Morris, the former coach at Leuzinger High, Westbrook's alma mater.

There was UCLA coach Ben Howland — barely.

Then, along came a start-up professional basketball franchise called the Oklahoma City Thunder. The team employed decision-makers named Sam Presti and Troy Weaver and Scott Brooks. Collectively, they decided to use the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft to select Westbrook.

Suddenly, Westbrook needed more fingers.

Because of the Thunder's long-standing belief in him, Westbrook on Thursday gladly signed a five-year contract extension worth roughly $80 million. The deal, which was first reported by Yahoo! Sports, will go into effect next season and keep the All-Star point guard with the Thunder through the 2016-17 season.

"It feels great," Westbrook said in a telephone interview with The Oklahoman on Thursday night. "It's a great opportunity. The organization, they've been believers in me since college and I thank them for that. They've been great in just believing in me throughout thick and thin and ups and downs…I'm just thankful.""