Russell Westbrook is done. The 37-year-old point guard announced his retirement from the NBA on Wednesday, closing the book on an 18-year career that carried him through seven franchises. The announcement came in a social media video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan.
Westbrook spent his final season with the Sacramento Kings, who tied the Utah Jazz for the worst record in the Western Conference at 22-60. It was the most losses he had experienced in a single season, surpassing the 23-59 mark his Oklahoma City Thunder posted during his rookie year in 2008-09. But even as the losses piled up, Westbrook remained a steady veteran presence. He played 64 games, started 58, and averaged 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and team highs of 6.7 assists and 1.3 steals. A toe injury forced him to miss Sacramento’s final 11 games.
The 2025-26 campaign wasn’t all bad. Westbrook moved into fifth place on the NBA’s all-time assists list, passing legends Steve Nash and Mark Jackson. He also became the first guard in league history to surpass 9,000 career rebounds. And he added six more triple-doubles to his record total, pushing his career tally to 209, the most in NBA history.
Westbrook ends his career with 27,176 points, 9,025 rebounds, and 10,351 assists. Only LeBron James has also recorded over 25,000 points and 10,000 assists. His career averages stand at 20.9 points, 8.0 assists, and 6.9 rebounds across 1,301 games.
He never won a championship, but he established himself as one of the best players of his generation. Westbrook was the 2017 NBA MVP, a nine-time All-Star, and a two-time scoring champion. He earned nine All-NBA selections and led the league in assists three times. He was also named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary team, a nod to his status as a top-75 player of all time.
Now, Westbrook awaits his call to the Hall of Fame, a certainty in a few years. He and LeBron James are the only players in NBA history with those gaudy career numbers.
