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Russell Westbrook has announced his retirement from basketball after an 18-year NBA career.
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The nine-time All-Star leaves the NBA as its all-time leader in triple-doubles with 209.
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Westbrook also ranks fifth in career assists with 10,351 and won the 2016-17 MVP award with the Oklahoma City Thunder.
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The 37-year-old spent his final NBA season with the Sacramento Kings, averaging 15.2 points and 6.7 assists in 64 games.
August 12, (THEWILL) — Russell Westbrook has announced his retirement from the NBA, bringing an end to an 18-year career that established him as one of the most explosive and statistically accomplished guards in league history.
The 37-year-old veteran made the announcement Wednesday through a three-and-a-half-minute social media video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan.
Westbrook did not speak in the video, which featured highlights from his remarkable career.
“Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end,” Westbrook wrote in the accompanying post. “You had to be there. And now it’s over.”
Westbrook retires as the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles, having recorded 209 during his career.
He also ranks fifth on the league’s all-time assists list with 10,351, behind only LeBron James, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd and John Stockton.
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His journey began in 2008 when the Oklahoma City Thunder selected him with the fourth overall pick in the NBA Draft.
Westbrook spent his first 11 seasons with the franchise, developing from an athletic young guard into one of the league’s most dominant all-around players.
He won the NBA Most Valuable Player award in the 2016-17 season after becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double over an entire season.
Westbrook went on to accomplish that feat four times during his career.
The nine-time All-Star also earned two first-team All-NBA selections and twice led the NBA in scoring.
He led the league in assists three times and became known for his relentless athleticism, attacking style and ability to influence games across multiple statistical categories.
Westbrook later played for the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers and Los Angeles Clippers before joining the Sacramento Kings for the 2025-26 season.
In his final campaign, Westbrook appeared in 64 games and started 58, averaging 15.2 points and 6.7 assists per game.
Sacramento struggled throughout the season, finishing 22-60 and tied with the Utah Jazz for the worst record in the Western Conference.
The Kings subsequently received the seventh pick in the NBA Draft and selected Arkansas guard Darius Acuff Jr.
Although Westbrook’s final seasons were marked by criticism and a changing role, his place in NBA history remains significant.
Few players combined his scoring ability, rebounding from the guard position and playmaking at the level he did throughout his prime.
From his explosive years in Oklahoma City to his historic triple-double runs, Westbrook leaves behind a career defined by intensity, durability and numbers that place him among the most productive guards of his generation.
After nearly two decades in the NBA, the former MVP has now decided that the final chapter has been written.
