Russell Westbrook Announces Retirement, Leaves Behind a Legacy of Triple-Doubles and MVP Moments

Russell Westbrook, a nine-time All-Star and the 2017 NBA MVP, has announced his retirement after 18 seasons in the league. The 37-year-old was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics and played for seven different franchises.

Westbrook finished his career as the NBA's all-time leader in triple-doubles with 209. He made nine All-NBA teams, won two All-Star Game MVPs, and led the league in assists three times. He is one of three players, along with Oscar Robertson and Nikola Jokić, to average a triple-double for an entire season, and did so four times.

In 1,301 career games with the Oklahoma City Thunder, Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, and Sacramento Kings, Westbrook averaged 20.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 8.0 assists.

A future Hall of Famer, Westbrook is 14th on the all-time scoring list (27,176 points), fifth in assists (10,351), and is one of two players (along with LeBron James) to top 25,000 points and 10,000 assists in their career.

### NBA's All-Time Assist Leaders

| Rank | Player | Assists | | --- | --- | --- | | 1 | John Stockton | 15,806 | | 2 | Jason Kidd | 10,667 | | 3 | Russell Westbrook | 10,351 | | 4 | Mark Jackson | 10,334 | | 5 | Steve Nash | 10,335 |

Westbrook's career was marked by several notable moments, including his time with the Thunder alongside Kevin Durant and James Harden. They made the Western Conference Finals in 2011 and the Finals in 2012, but ultimately lost to the Miami Heat.

Westbrook also had a remarkable stretch of three consecutive seasons averaging a triple-double, a feat that may never be matched. He won gold medals with Team USA at the 2010 World Championship and 2012 Olympics.

## Russell Westbrook's Top Five NBA Moments

### 5. All-Time Triple-Double Record

Westbrook's historic moment came in a road loss to the Atlanta Hawks during one of the COVID seasons, where he surpassed Oscar Robertson for the most triple-doubles in NBA history with 182. He averaged a triple-double for the fourth time in his career, a record that may never be broken.

### 4. 57-Point Triple-Double

Late in 2017, Westbrook put on a show against the Orlando Magic with a 57-point triple-double in an overtime victory for the Thunder. He shot 21 of 40 and added 13 assists and 11 rebounds in what was, at the time, the highest-scoring triple-double game in NBA history.

### 3. Buzzer Beater vs. Nuggets in Record-Setting Triple-Double

A few weeks after his 57-point triple-double, Westbrook delivered a signature moment for his MVP campaign. In Denver, Westbrook led the Thunder to a thrilling 14-point comeback win over the Nuggets with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer. He finished with 50 points, 16 rebounds, and 10 assists to record his third 50-point triple-double and 42nd overall triple-double of the season.

### 2. The 20-20-20 Game

In the final seconds of a late-April win over the Los Angeles Lakers in 2019, Westbrook made more history when he grabbed his 20th rebound of the game to join, at the time, Wilt Chamberlain as the only players in NBA history with a 20-point, 20-rebound, 20-assist game.

### 1. Westbrook Wins MVP

After a series of playoff failures, Durant controversially left the Thunder in 2016 to join the Warriors. That allowed Westbrook to take the car keys and put together one of the best individual seasons ever. He averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists to, at the time, join Oscar Robertson as the only players to average a triple-double for a season. In doing so, Westbrook dragged the Thunder to 47 wins and a playoff appearance.

In a contentious MVP race, he beat James Harden and Kawhi Leonard to earn the honor for the first and only time in his career.

Westbrook's retirement leaves behind a legacy of triple-doubles and MVP moments that will be remembered for generations to come.