Russell Westbrook has announced his retirement from the NBA after 18 years in the league.
Westbrook took to social media on Wednesday, ending a career that will largely be synonymous with the Oklahoma City Thunder and being a triple-double king.
‘Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end,’ Westbrook wrote as the caption of his video, which was narrated by Michael B. Jordan. ‘You had to be there. And now it’s over.’
He could have carried on playing but rejected offers from the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards, according to ESPN.
Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end.
The No 4 pick in the 2008 NBA draft, the point guard was selected by the Seattle SuperSonics just before they moved to Oklahoma City.
He played his first 11 seasons with the Thunder – growing alongside fellow future Hall of Famers in Kevin Durant and James Harden. The trio reached the NBA Finals in 2012, losing to LeBron James’ Miami Heat. Westbrook remains the Thunder’s career leader in scoring, assists, rebounds and steals.
Westbrook also played for the Houston Rockets, Washington, the Los Angeles Lakers and the LA Clippers – splitting the 2022-23 season between the cross-city rivals and Denver.
Last season, Westbrook started 58 of the 64 games he played for Sacramento. He averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 assists.
Westbrook led the NBA in assists three times and was a two-time MVP of the All-Star Game. He won an Olympic gold medal in the 2012 London Games.
Westbrook leaves the league with 209 triple-doubles, the last of which came on 15 March. Nikola Jokic ranks second in that category with 198. Westbrook also holds the NBA mark for most triple-doubles in a season with 42 in 2016-17, when he earned his only MVP award. He averaged double figures for points and assists in five of six seasons starting in the 2015-16 season.
