Russell Westbrook has announced his retirement from the NBA after 18 seasons in the league.
Westbrook confirmed his retirement on social media on Wednesday.
“Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end,” Westbrook’s captions read. “You had to be there. And now it’s over.
According to ESPN, Westbrook “had offers this offseason with the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards.” Instead, he leaves the game on his own terms.
WESTBROOK’S HALL OF FAME CAREER
Defined by his hyper-athleticism and competitive fire, Westbrook built a historic NBA legacy as one of the most explosive point guards to ever play the game. Westbrook’s 11-season run with the Oklahoma City Thunder (2008–2019) remains one of the most explosive, relentless, and transformative eras for a player and a franchise in modern NBA history.
Drafted fourth overall as the franchise transitioned to Oklahoma City, Westbrook quickly formed a dynamic duo alongside Kevin Durant, leading the Thunder to four Western Conference Finals appearances and a trip to the 2012 NBA Finals. However, his legacy in OKC reached iconic status after Durant’s 2016 departure, when Westbrook embraced sole leadership of the franchise with unmatched ferocity.
In the 2016–17 season, he won the League MVP and became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double across an entire season. He would repeat the feat he went on to repeat three more times. Eventually, he surpassed Robertson as the NBA’s all-time leader in career triple-doubles.
Selected as a member of the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, Westbrook’s resume features nine All-Star selections, nine All-NBA Team honors, two All-Star Game MVPs, two scoring titles, and three assist titles, solidifying his spot among the league’s all-time premier playmakers.
Westbrook also played for the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, and Sacramento Kings.
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