Russell Westbrook has announced his retirement from professional basketball, bringing an end to an 18-year NBA career.
The 37-year-old guard played his final NBA season with the Sacramento Kings, averaging 15.2 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds in 64 appearances during the 2025-26 campaign.
Russell Westbrook entered the NBA in 2008 as the fourth overall pick and spent his first 11 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He became the face of the franchise after Kevin Durant’s departure and eventually established himself as one of the defining players of his generation.
Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end.
— Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) August 12, 2026
You had to be there. And now it’s over. pic.twitter.com/6YoOW8WyIV
Russell Westbrook leaves NBA as all-time triple-double leader
Westbrook’s name will forever be linked to the triple-double. His most memorable individual season came in 2016-17, when he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists for Oklahoma City. He recorded 42 triple-doubles that season, breaking the previous single-season record and earning the NBA MVP award.
He went on to average a triple-double in four different seasons, becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson to accomplish the feat and eventually surpassing Robertson as the NBA’s all-time triple-double leader.
Russell Westbrook finishes his career with 209 regular-season triple-doubles, along with nine All-Star selections and nine All-NBA selections. He also led the NBA in scoring twice and assists three times, while winning two All-Star Game MVP awards.
During his final season, Westbrook moved into fifth place on the NBA’s all-time assists list and became the first guard in league history to record more than 9,000 rebounds.
An 18-year career across seven NBA teams
After his long run with Oklahoma City, Westbrook went on to play for the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings.
His career included an NBA Finals appearance in 2012, when Oklahoma City reached the championship series before losing to the Miami Heat.
An NBA championship was ultimately the one major achievement that remained outside Westbrook’s resume. He did, however, win Olympic gold with Team USA at the 2012 London Games and also won the 2010 FIBA World Championship.
Westbrook was named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, joining an exclusive group of players recognized among the greatest in league history.
Westbrook entered the offseason with his future still uncertain after finishing the 2025-26 campaign in Sacramento. With no clear next destination emerging and speculation even linking the veteran guard with a move to Europe, he ultimately decided to bring his playing career to an end.
