Russell Westbrook's NBA career is over after 18 seasons. The 37-year-old guard announced his retirement Wednesday, closing a career that began as the No. 4 pick in the 2008 NBA Draft and ended with him holding the league's all-time triple-double record.
Westbrook retires with 27,176 points, 10,351 assists, and 9,025 rebounds across 1,301 regular-season games. He averaged 20.9 points, 8.0 assists, and 6.9 rebounds for his career. His 209 triple-doubles are the most in NBA history. He and LeBron James are the only players to reach 25,000 points and 10,000 assists.
Westbrook won the 2017 NBA MVP and made nine All-Star teams. He was selected to nine All-NBA teams, won two scoring titles, and led the league in assists three times. He also won an Olympic gold medal with Team USA in 2012 and was selected to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team.
He spent his first 11 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder before playing for the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, and Sacramento Kings. The Utah Jazz acquired him in February 2023 and bought him out before he appeared in a game. His only trip to the NBA Finals came with Oklahoma City in 2012.
Sacramento was Westbrook's final stop. He played 64 games last season, starting 58, and averaged 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, 6.7 assists, and 1.3 steals. A toe injury kept him out of the final 11 games. Westbrook recorded six triple-doubles during the season. He also became the first guard to reach 9,000 career rebounds and passed Steve Nash and Mark Jackson for fifth place on the NBA's career assists list.
Here are five games and stretches that stood out during his 18 NBA seasons.
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
1. April 9, 2017: 42 Triple-Doubles and a Buzzer-Beater in Denver
Westbrook arrived in Denver on April 9, 2017, with 41 triple-doubles, tied with Oscar Robertson's 1961-62 single-season record. Oklahoma City had three games left in the regular season. Westbrook had reached 40 triple-doubles eight days earlier against Charlotte and tied Robertson's record against Milwaukee on April 4.
The record came with 4:17 remaining against Denver when Westbrook found Semaj Christon for a jumper. It gave Westbrook his 10th assist and his 42nd triple-double of the season. Oklahoma City still trailed, and Westbrook took over the rest of the game. He scored the Thunder's final 15 points.
Denver led 105-103 with 2.9 seconds remaining when Steven Adams inbounded the ball to Westbrook. He caught it several feet behind the 3-point line, took one dribble, and made a 36-footer at the buzzer. Oklahoma City won 106-105, and the loss eliminated Denver from playoff contention.
Westbrook finished with 50 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists. It was his third 50-point triple-double of the season.
He finished the regular season averaging 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists in 81 games. Robertson had been the last player to average a triple-double for a season, doing so in 1961-62. Oklahoma City finished 47-35 and earned the sixth seed in the Western Conference in its first season after Kevin Durant left for Golden State.
Westbrook won the MVP that June over James Harden and Kawhi Leonard. He averaged another triple-double in 2017-18 and did it again in 2018-19. His fourth came with Washington in 2020-21.
2. May 10, 2021: Passing Oscar Robertson
Washington acquired Westbrook from Houston for John Wall and a protected first-round pick in December 2020. He entered May 10, 2021, with 181 career triple-doubles, tied with Robertson for the NBA record. Robertson had held the record since finishing his career in 1974.
Westbrook broke it against the Atlanta Hawks. His 10th rebound came with 8:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, giving him career triple-double No. 182. He finished the night with 28 points, 13 rebounds, and 21 assists.
Washington lost 125-124. Westbrook had a chance to win it after receiving the ball with the Wizards down one in the closing seconds, but his 3-pointer with two seconds remaining missed. Bradley Beal did not play because of a strained left hamstring.
It was Westbrook's 36th triple-double in 61 games that season. He finished his lone year in Washington averaging 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 11.7 assists, with 38 triple-doubles in 65 appearances. The Wizards went 34-38, advanced through the play-in tournament, and lost to the Philadelphia 76ers in five games in the first round.
Westbrook added 25 more triple-doubles after leaving Washington. His career total eventually reached 209.
3. June 2012: Westbrook's Only NBA Finals
Westbrook was 23 when Oklahoma City reached the NBA Finals in his fourth season. Kevin Durant was 23, James Harden was 22, and Serge Ibaka was 22. The Thunder beat the defending champion Dallas Mavericks in the first round, eliminated the Los Angeles Lakers in five games, and came back from a 2-0 deficit to beat the San Antonio Spurs four straight times in the Western Conference finals.
Oklahoma City opened the Finals at home against Miami and won Game 1, 105-94. Durant scored 36 points. Westbrook added 27 points, 8 rebounds, and 11 assists in 42 minutes.
Miami won Games 2 and 3 before Westbrook had the highest-scoring playoff game of his career (at the time) in Game 4 on June 19. He shot 20-of-32 and finished with 43 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists in 45 minutes. Oklahoma City led by 17 points in the first quarter, but Miami won 104-98.
The Heat closed the series with a 121-106 win two nights later. Westbrook averaged 27.0 points, 6.4 rebounds, and 6.6 assists in the five games.
Oklahoma City returned to the Western Conference finals in 2014, losing to San Antonio in six games. Two years later, the Thunder led Golden State 3-1 in the conference finals before losing Games 5, 6, and 7. Durant signed with the Warriors that offseason. Westbrook did not return to the NBA Finals during the remaining 10 seasons of his career.
4. April 24, 2013: The Knee Injury That Ended an Ironman Streak
Westbrook did not miss a regular-season game over his first five years in the NBA. He played all 82 games in each of his first three seasons, all 66 during the lockout-shortened 2011-12 season, and all 82 again in 2012-13. He had also appeared in all 45 of Oklahoma City's playoff games entering the 2013 postseason.
The streak ended during Game 2 of Oklahoma City's first-round series against Houston on April 24, 2013. Westbrook was moving toward the sideline to call a timeout when Rockets guard Patrick Beverley went for the ball. Their knees collided.
Westbrook stayed in the game and played 37 minutes. He finished with 29 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals as Oklahoma City won 105-102 to take a 2-0 series lead.
Two days later, the Thunder announced Westbrook had torn the lateral meniscus in his right knee. He underwent surgery on April 27. At the time of the injury, he had played 394 consecutive regular-season games and all 45 playoff games of his NBA career.
Oklahoma City finished off Houston in six games. Memphis beat the Thunder 4-1 in the second round.
Westbrook underwent another procedure on the knee in October 2013. He returned to play 25 games before having another operation in December, which kept him out for 27 games. He came back in February and played 46 regular-season games that year before helping Oklahoma City reach the Western Conference finals.
Over the next five seasons, Westbrook made five All-Star teams, won two scoring titles, led the NBA in assists twice, and won the 2017 MVP.
5. 2015 and 2016: Back-to-Back All-Star MVPs
Westbrook came off the bench for the Western Conference at the 2015 All-Star Game at Madison Square Garden. He scored 27 points in the first half and finished with 41 on 16-of-28 shooting in about 25 minutes as the West beat the East 163-158.
At the time, only Wilt Chamberlain and Michael Jordan had scored at least 40 points in an All-Star Game. Chamberlain's 42 points in 1962 were still the record, leaving Westbrook one point short. Westbrook also made five 3-pointers and grabbed 5 rebounds on his way to his first All-Star Game MVP.
He returned a year later in Toronto and won the award again. Westbrook scored 31 points with 8 rebounds, 5 assists, and 5 steals in 22 minutes as the West won 196-173.
Bob Pettit was the only previous player to receive the award in consecutive seasons. Pettit won it outright in 1958 and shared the 1959 award with Elgin Baylor.
Westbrook was 27 when he won the second one. During the 2016-17 season that followed, he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists, set the single-season triple-double record, won his second scoring title, and was named league MVP.
The Records Russell Westbrook Leaves Behind
Westbrook retires with 209 triple-doubles in the regular season, 28 more than Robertson's 181. He also owns the single-season record with 42 in 2016-17. From Jan. 22 through Feb. 14, 2019, Westbrook recorded a triple-double in 11 consecutive games.
He averaged a triple-double four times. Three came in consecutive seasons from 2016-17 through 2018-19, and the fourth came with Washington in 2020-21. Robertson had been the only player to average one over a full season before Westbrook did it in 2017.
Westbrook's 10,351 assists rank fifth in NBA history. He finished with 9,025 rebounds and became the first guard to reach 9,000. His 27,176 career points put him over 25,000, making him and LeBron James the only players in NBA history with at least 25,000 points and 10,000 assists.
He played 1,301 regular-season games and another 122 in the playoffs. Westbrook's résumé includes the 2017 MVP, nine All-Star selections, nine All-NBA selections, two scoring titles, three assist titles, two All-Star Game MVP awards, and an Olympic gold medal.
His last 64 games came with Sacramento. Westbrook averaged 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists in his 18th NBA season before retiring at 37.
