Russell Westbrook Retires After 18 NBA Seasons

Russell Westbrook, the NBA's career leader in triple-doubles and the 2017 MVP, announced Wednesday that he is retiring after 18 seasons.

Westbrook shared his decision on social media in a post featuring a video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan, in which the guard never speaks. "Sometimes you don't even know when you've already watched the end," Westbrook wrote. "You had to be there. And now it's over."

Westbrook was the No. 4 pick in the 2008 draft, selected by the Seattle SuperSonics out of UCLA just before the franchise moved to become the Oklahoma City Thunder. He played his first 11 seasons in Oklahoma City before also suiting up for Houston, Washington, the Lakers, the Clippers and Denver, splitting the 2022-23 season between the two Los Angeles teams and the Nuggets. He spent his final season with the Sacramento Kings.

He was named to the NBA's 75th anniversary team, led the league in assists three times, and was a two-time scoring champion and two-time All-Star Game MVP. He won an Olympic gold medal at the 2012 London Games.

Westbrook retires with 209 career triple-doubles, the last coming on March 15. Nikola Jokic ranks second with 198 entering this season. Westbrook also holds the single-season triple-double record with 42 in 2016-17, the year he won his only MVP award.

Thunder general manager Sam Presti called Westbrook "the ultimate competitor." "His internal belief and unbridled fearlessness helped establish the foundation of our organization from day one in 2008 and he elevated the confidence and inspired our community in every year thereafter," Presti said in a statement. "Russell will be as successful in his life after basketball as he was during his career because his qualities and gifts transfer."

Last season, Westbrook started 58 of the 64 games he played for Sacramento, averaging 15.2 points and 6.7 assists.