Sacramento: Russell Westbrook announces retirement after 18 NBA seasons

By Joel Kavanagh — 12 August 2026 — 3 min read

Westbrook’s distinguished NBA career

Russell Westbrook, the NBA’s career leader in triple-doubles and the 2017 Kia MVP, has announced his retirement following an 18-season career. The decision was shared on social media, accompanied by a video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan. Westbrook’s social media post included the message: “Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end. You had to be there. And now it’s over.”

Westbrook was selected as the No. 4 pick in the 2008 draft out of UCLA by the Seattle SuperSonics, just before the team relocated to Oklahoma City. He spent his initial 11 seasons with the Thunder. His career concluded with the Sacramento Kings, where he played this past season.

Throughout his career, Westbrook achieved significant milestones, including being a two-time scoring champion and a two-time MVP of the All-Star Game. He also secured an Olympic gold medal at the 2012 London Games. Westbrook was recognised for his impact on the league by being selected to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, which honours the 75 greatest players in league history. He was one of only 11 active players chosen for this prestigious team at the time of its announcement.

Statistical dominance and accolades

Westbrook leaves the game with 209 triple-doubles, with his last recorded on March 15. This places him as the NBA’s all-time leader in this category. For context, Nikola Jokic ranks second with 198 triple-doubles entering the current season. Westbrook also holds the record for the most triple-doubles in a single season, achieving 42 during the 2016-17 season, the same year he earned his sole MVP award.

His statistical impact extended beyond triple-doubles. Westbrook led the NBA in assists three times. He averaged double figures for points and assists in five out of six seasons, beginning with the 2015-16 season. His career averages stand at 20.9 points, 8.0 assists, 6.9 rebounds, and 1.6 steals per game.

Westbrook redefined the role of a point guard in the league, known for his versatile play across scoring, passing, rebounding, and defense. He was named the NBA Most Valuable Player in 2017 and earned nine NBA All-Star selections. His All-NBA selections include two first-team honours in 2016 and 2017, five second-team selections between 2011-2013, 2015, and 2018, and two third-team selections in 2019 and 2020.

Journey across multiple teams

After his extensive tenure with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Westbrook played for several other franchises. These include the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, and Denver Nuggets. During the 2022-23 season, he split his time between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Los Angeles Clippers before joining the Sacramento Kings for his final season.

During his 11 years with the Thunder, Westbrook averaged 23.0 points, 8.4 assists, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.8 steals over 821 games. In his last season with the Sacramento Kings, he started 58 of the 64 games he played, averaging 15.2 points and 6.7 assists.

Westbrook also became the second player in NBA history to average a triple-double across an entire season, a feat he accomplished four times in his career. This included three consecutive seasons from 2016-17 through 2018-19 with the Thunder, and again in the 2020-21 season with the Wizards.

Source: nba.com