After 18 seasons of a Hall of Fame career, Russell Westbrook announced his retirement from the NBA.
Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end.
— Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) August 12, 2026
You had to be there. And now it’s over. pic.twitter.com/6YoOW8WyIV
While the clip does not use the word “retirement,” it does talk about him stepping away “on his own terms.” (Yes, that is Michael B. Jordan doing the narration on Westbrook’s video.)
It was considered a bit of a reach back in 2008 when Sam Presti drafted him No. 4 out of UCLA, onto a team just moving to Oklahoma City. Westbrook went on to have an 18-year career in which he became an NBA MVP (2017), was a nine-time All-NBA player and nine-time All-Star. Over the course of that career, Westbrook averaged 20.9 points, 8 assists and 6.9 rebounds per game. For much of his career, he was one of the most explosive and entertaining players in the league.
Damn Brodie… an absolute Legend! What a hell of a career!
— Trae Young (@TheTraeYoung) August 12, 2026
🫡 @russwest44
Westbrook is the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles with 209 and became the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1962 to average one for a season in 2017, the year he was voted MVP. Westbrook steps away as fifth all-time in the NBA in assists (10,351) and 14th in scoring (27,176 points). Over the course of his 18 seasons, he played for the Thunder — with Kevin Durant and James Harden, a team that made the NBA Finals before being broken up — then the Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, and Kings.
Thank You @russwest44 🫡
— Donovan Mitchell (@spidadmitchell) August 12, 2026
Westbrook was offered minimum contracts this season with the Kings and Wizards as a reserve guard, reports ESPN’s Shams Charania, but after weighing his options, he decided it was time to step away.
