Russell Westbrook announced his retirement on social media Wednesday, ending an 18-year NBA career. The nine-time All-Star and All-NBA selection shared a video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan and posted a reflective caption about the close of his playing days.
Westbrook’s career included an NBA Most Valuable Player award. He finished last season with the Sacramento Kings, averaging 15.2 points, 6.7 assists and 5.2 rebounds.
The Seattle SuperSonics selected Westbrook with the No. 4 pick out of UCLA in the 2008 draft before the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City. Westbrook spent 11 seasons in Oklahoma City and won the MVP in 2016-17 after becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 to average a triple-double for a season.
Nicknamed the triple-double king, Westbrook recorded 209 triple-doubles over his career, the most in NBA history. He also finishes his career ranked fifth all time in assists and 14th on the NBA’s scoring list. He is one of two players in league history with at least 25,000 points and 10,000 assists, the other being LeBron James, according to ESPN Research.
Praise and congratulations from around the sports world poured in following the announcement, led by current NBA guards Donovan Mitchell and Trae Young.
