Russell Westbrook Retires After Historic 18 NBA Seasons
One of the NBA’s most electrifying players is walking away from the game.
Russell Westbrook announced his retirement Wednesday after 18 seasons in the NBA, closing a career that transformed the triple-double from a rare feat into something fans almost expected whenever he stepped onto the court. The 37-year-old shared the news through a reflective video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan.
Westbrook entered the league as the fourth overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and became a superstar with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he played alongside Kevin Durant and James Harden and helped lead the team to the 2012 NBA Finals. After 11 seasons in Oklahoma City, he went on to play for the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets and, most recently, the Sacramento Kings.
His resume is stacked. Westbrook won the 2017 NBA MVP award, Made nine All-Star and nine All-NBA teams, won two scoring titles and led the league in assists three times. He also earned an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 2012 and was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team.
But his most historic accomplishment may be the triple-double. Westbrook retires as the NBA’s all-time leader with 209, surpassing Oscar Robertson’s decades-old record in 2021. He also averaged a triple-double across an entire season four different times, including his MVP campaign in 2016-17.
Westbrook finished his final season with Sacramento averaging 15.2 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds across 64 games. He ends his career with 27,176 points and 10,351 assists, leaving behind numbers and a relentless playing style that made him one of the defining guards of his generation.
