Special Edition: Russell Westbrook

Russell Westbrook Retiring

Yesterday, NBA legend Russell Westbrook announced his retirement. Westbrook played for 18 seasons and is sure to be a first-ballott hall of famer. Westbrook averaged 20.9, 6.9 rebounds, and 8.0 assists per game over his career. He had 27,176 total points. Westbrook is regularly in debates about the top point guards of all-time are.

2017 NBA MVP

Of all his accolades, this one stands out. In 2017, Westbrook played 80 games and averaged 36.4 minutes per game over the season. He shot a career high 34.3% from three-point range. His 864 rebounds and 840 assists were also career highs. He averaged a triple-double over the season, with 31.6 ppg, 10.7 rpg, and 10.4 apg. He had 42 triple-doubles over the course of the season. Westbrook’s 2016-2017 season was great.

Thunder Era

For the first 11 seasons of his career, Westbrook played for the Oklahoma City Thunder. In his rookie season, the Thunder went 23-59, but Westbrook played in all 82 games. Westbrook averaged 15.3 ppg in his rookie year. Westbrook played with Kevin Durant from 2008-2016 with the Thunder. The Thunder made the 2012 finals, but lost to the Miami Heat. Westbrook averaged 23.0 ppg, 8.4 apg, and 7.0 rpg with the Thunder. In his second and third seasons, the Thunder fell short in the postseason. His fourth year was when they fell to Miami in the finals. His best season with the Thunder followed that when they went 60-22, but Westbrook got injured in the postseason. He averaged a triple-double in each of his last three seasons with the Thunder.

Last Years of Career

Westbrook averaged 27.2 and 22.2 points in his first two seasons after OKC, with the Houston Rockets, then the Washington Wizards. With Washington, he once again averaged a triple-double. Westbrook then joined the Los Angeles Lakers for two seasons, and after a brief time with the Utah Jazz, went to the Los Angeles Clippers. He averaged a career low 11.1 points per game in the 2023-24 season with the Clippers. He finished his career by playing for the Denver Nuugets then the Sacramento Kings. Many say an NBA Championship is the only thing Westbrook is missing from his all-time resumé.