Russell Westbrook is finally walking away from the NBA.
After 18 seasons, the former MVP has decided to call it a career, bringing an end to one of the most explosive, unpredictable and talked-about careers of his generation. Westbrook announced his retirement on August 12 in a video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan.
And honestly, it’s hard to believe it’s over.
For almost two decades, Westbrook was one of those players you simply had to watch.
You might have loved him.
You might have hated some of his decisions.
But you were watching.
The Triple-Double King Is Walking Away
There’s one thing nobody can take away from Westbrook.
209 career triple-doubles.
That’s the most in NBA history.
Nikola Jokić is the closest active player, but Westbrook still sits at the top of the list. He also holds the record for the most triple-doubles in a single season, putting up 42 during the 2016-17 season.
That same season produced one of the most ridiculous individual campaigns we’ve seen.
Westbrook averaged:
31.6 points
10.7 rebounds
10.4 assists
And he won the NBA MVP.
Not bad.
He Wasn’t Supposed to Become THAT Player
When Westbrook entered the league in 2008, nobody really knew what he was going to become.
He was athletic.
He was incredibly fast.
He was aggressive.
But he wasn’t immediately viewed as the future MVP that he eventually became.
Then he developed alongside Kevin Durant and the Oklahoma City Thunder.
And that’s where things got crazy.
The Thunder eventually became one of the best young teams in basketball, reaching the 2012 NBA Finals.
Westbrook was already becoming one of the league’s most dangerous players.
Then Durant left.
And Westbrook took over.
That’s When We Got Peak Russ
The 2016-17 season was probably the purest version of Russell Westbrook.
He wasn’t just trying to score.
He wasn’t just trying to pass.
He seemed determined to do everything.
And somehow, he did.
He became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double for an entire season and broke Robertson’s single-season triple-double record.
That earned him the MVP award.
It also created one of the biggest debates in basketball.
Was Westbrook’s style winning basketball, or was it simply spectacular basketball?
People have argued about that for years.
Then Came the Criticism
This is where Westbrook’s career gets complicated.
As incredible as his numbers were, the criticism followed him everywhere.
His shooting became a major issue.
His turnovers were constantly discussed.
His decision-making was questioned.
And as he moved around the league, the narrative became harder to escape.
Houston.
Washington.
The Lakers.
The Clippers.
Denver.
Sacramento.
Westbrook eventually played for seven NBA franchises, finishing his career with the Kings.
At times, it looked like the league was trying to figure out what to do with a superstar whose game had been built around athleticism and relentless attacking.
The Lakers Chapter Will Always Be Discussed
You can’t talk about Westbrook’s career without mentioning his time with the Lakers.
It simply didn’t work.
The partnership with LeBron James and Anthony Davis was supposed to create a superteam.
Instead, it became one of the most heavily criticized stretches of his career.
Westbrook eventually became a backup and was traded.
Even now, his retirement has brought that chapter back into the conversation, with some fans questioning the relationship between Westbrook and LeBron.
But that’s only one part of the story.
It shouldn’t erase everything that came before it.
Westbrook Leaves With Some Serious Numbers
When you actually look at the résumé, it’s pretty impressive.
9× All-Star
2017 NBA MVP
2× scoring champion
3× assists leader
209 career triple-doubles
42 triple-doubles in one season
NBA 75th Anniversary Team
Olympic gold medalist
He also finished his career fifth all-time in assists with 10,351 and 14th in scoring with 27,176 points.
Whatever you think about his later years, those numbers aren’t disappearing.
Could We Have Seen the End Coming?
Maybe.
Westbrook was 37 entering retirement and had just finished his final season with Sacramento, where he averaged 15.2 points per game.
There were apparently opportunities for him to continue playing, including a reported two-year offer from Washington.
He chose retirement instead.
And perhaps that’s the most Westbrook thing he could have done.
He decided when the story ended.
So, Was Russell Westbrook Underrated?
That’s the debate I’d actually like to hear.
Because Westbrook was certainly criticized.
A lot.
But there’s a difference between saying a player had flaws and saying that player wasn’t great.
Westbrook was great.
He was an MVP.
He was one of the most dominant statistical players of his era.
He changed the way people thought about triple-doubles.
And for several years, there was nobody quite like him.
Maybe the biggest question isn’t whether Westbrook was underrated.
Maybe it’s whether we’ll fully appreciate how unusual his career was now that he’s gone.
The NBA has plenty of stars.
It has plenty of great athletes.
But there probably won’t be another Russell Westbrook.
The Brodie is officially done.
And whether you loved him, hated him or spent years arguing about him…
You definitely watched him.
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