Russell Westbrook, the NBA's all-time leader in career triple-doubles and a former league Most Valuable Player, announced his retirement Wednesday after 18 seasons, posting a three-and-a-half-minute video on social media in which he did not speak.
Russell Westbrook retires after 18 NBA seasons, holding career triple-double record
Russell Westbrook, the NBA's all-time leader in career triple-doubles and a former league Most Valuable Player, announced his retirement Wednesday after 18 seasons, posting a three-and-a-half-minute video on social media in which he did not speak.
Westbrook, 37, recorded 209 career triple-doubles, including a record 42 during the 2016-17 season in which he won the MVP award. That season he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists — making him the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 to average a triple-double over a full season.
A nine-time All-Star, Westbrook ranks fifth all-time in career assists with 10,351 and 14th in career scoring with 27,176 points. He led the NBA in assists three times and in scoring twice. He was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, won the All-Star Game MVP award in consecutive years (2015 and 2016), and won a gold medal with the United States at the 2012 Olympics in London.
Over 1,301 regular-season games with seven franchises, Westbrook averaged 20.9 points, 8.0 assists, and 6.9 rebounds. In 135 career playoff games, he averaged 22.5 points, 7.1 assists, and 6.7 rebounds.
Westbrook was selected fourth overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2008 NBA Draft. The franchise relocated to Oklahoma City before his rookie season, and he spent 11 seasons there, teaming with Kevin Durant to help the Thunder reach the NBA Finals in 2012, where they lost to the Miami Heat. James Harden was also on that team.
Westbrook bounced among five teams over his final six seasons. Last season with the Sacramento Kings, he averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 rebounds in 64 games, with 58 starts. Before the NBA, he played two seasons at UCLA, where he was named Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore.
- The source does not state which of the seven franchises Westbrook played for beyond Oklahoma City, Houston, and Sacramento.
- The source does not state Westbrook's full contract or salary details for any season.
- The source does not state whether Westbrook has been formally nominated for or elected to the Basketball Hall of Fame, though Presti's statement references a 'Hall of Fame career.'
- The source does not state reactions from any party other than Oklahoma City general manager Sam Presti.
- The source does not state the platform or platforms on which the retirement video was posted.
Read the original at Al Jazeera English