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In what may be one of the most shocking moves of the 2026 offseason, veteran point guard Russell Westbrook has announced his retirement from the NBA after 18 seasons. Westbrook announced his retirement in a social media video narrated by Michael B. Jordan on August 12th.
Across 18 seasons, Westbrook played for multiple teams, including the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, and Sacramento Kings. Westbrook would spend more than half of his career in OKC, playing over 800 games with the team. He would go to the 2012 Finals alongside Kevin Durant and James Harden and would win the 2017 NBA MVP after Durant left the Thunder in the summer of 2016. Westbrook would spend no more than two years with any other team.
He would play one year in Houston alongside James Harden before playing alongside Bradley Beal in Washington for a year. Russ’s career would take a downturn upon joining the Los Angeles Lakers, playing alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Westbrook would receive countless criticisms during his time with the Lakers, which ultimately damaged his perception in the later stage of his career. He would have some bright spots with the Clippers and Denver, but he would decline a player option with Denver, going unsigned until nearly the start of the 2025-26 season.
In Sacramento, Westbrook would unknowingly play his last season on a Kings team sitting at the bottom of the league. He would play 64 games with 58 starts, averaging 15.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, and 6.7 APG. Despite the stats, teams were hesitant to sign Westbrook, saying he was unplayable and difficult to coach. It is clear that Russ still had plenty left in the tank and could’ve been a bench player for a championship contender.
Despite how teams saw Russ at the end of his career, he is without a doubt one of the most memorable point guards in NBA history. The list of accolades Russ had over the course of his 18-year career cannot be diminished. Accolades include:
- 9x All-Star
- 2x Scoring Champion
- 9x All-NBA
- 2016-17 MVP
- 3x Assist Champion
- Member of the 75th Anniversary Team
- All-Time League Leader in Triple-Doubles (209)
- Four Seasons Averaging a Triple-Double
At the end of the day, Westbrook will be remembered for his time in Oklahoma City and what he meant to the people of Oklahoma City. There is no doubt that when the question is asked, Russell Westbrook should see his jersey retired by the Oklahoma City Thunder. There is also no doubt that when he becomes eligible, he will be a first-ballot Hall of Famer. With Westbrook’s retirement, Brook Lopez, DeAndre Jordan, Kevin Love (unsigned), and Nicholas Batum (overseas) are the remaining active players from the 2008 NBA Draft.
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