Russell Westbrook has officially announced his retirement after 18 seasons in the NBA despite receiving offers from the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards.
Westbrook established himself as one of the league’s most electrifying players during his near two-decade run in the association, while drawing a ton of praise for his never-quit attitude.
He would attack the rim at will, no matter who was in his sights. If you were bold enough to even try to block his dunk attempt, you might very well just end up on a poster.
His relentless motor allowed him to get out ahead on the break, set his teammates up for clean looks and grab a massive amount of rebounds for his size, helping him average a triple-double in multiple seasons and pass Oscar Robertson for the most triple-doubles in NBA history — which took 47 years to accomplish.
Westbrook also became the first player since Robertson to average a triple-double in a season, which helped him earn league MVP in 2016-17 while leading the Thunder back to the playoffs despite losing Kevin Durant to the Golden State Warriors in free agency.
Westbrook, of course, didn’t take kindly to Durant leaving for the Warriors, but many KD fans blamed Westbrook’s poor shot selection and desire to be the hero for OKC’s demise.
That’s a criticism Westbrook has had to carry for much of his career, and those narratives only grew louder in some of his other stops across the league, especially when he teamed up with LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the Los Angeles Lakers.
In a league that was shifting towards more perimeter-oriented play and 3-point shooting, it was getting harder for a player of Westbrook’s archetype to thrive as a main option of a championship-contending team.
Westbrook wasn’t always willing to defer touches for the betterment of his team until it was too late, but he was at least able to stick around a little longer as his athleticism started to fade.
For some of his flaws, Westbrook’s energy around teams was contagious. He led by example and inspired his teammates to bring the best versions of themselves each night.
That was especially on display during Westbrook’s lone season in Washington during the 2020-21 season, helping the Wizards rally to earn the No. 8 seed despite being as many as 15 games under .500.
No matter how inefficient Westbrook can be, there’s no doubt he played 200% each night and wore all of his emotions on his sleeve.
