Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook spent years going at each other as two of the NBA’s fiercest point guards.
Lillard made it clear Wednesday that the competition never erased the respect.
After Westbrook announced his retirement from the NBA on August 12, the Portland Trail Blazers star shared Westbrook’s announcement on his Instagram Story with a short message.
“HOF … well done @russwest44,” Lillard wrote.
It was only a few words, but they carried considerably more history than the typical retirement tribute.
Westbrook ended an 18-season NBA career as the league’s all-time leader with 209 triple-doubles, along with an MVP award, nine All-Star selections and a place on the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team. He finished with 27,176 points and 10,351 assists, according to Reuters.
And few players saw Westbrook’s competitive edge from a closer vantage point than Lillard.
HeavyDamian Lillard congratulates longtime NBA rival Russell Westbrook after Westbrook announced his retirement.
Damian Lillard & Russell Westbrook Had One of NBA’s Fiercest RivalriesBefore Lillard was calling Westbrook a future Hall of Famer, the two guards had a relationship on the court that could look like anything but friendly.
Their confrontations predated the postseason showdown that ultimately defined the rivalry, but everything intensified when Portland and Oklahoma City met in the first round of the 2019 playoffs.
Westbrook and Lillard traded words during a contentious series, while the Thunder also leaned into their celebrations. Westbrook used his “rock the baby” gesture, and Oklahoma City guard Dennis Schroder mocked Lillard’s signature “Dame Time” wrist celebration during the series.
Lillard eventually got the final gesture.
With Portland leading the series 3-1 and Game 5 tied at 115, Lillard dribbled near half court with Paul George defending him before launching a 37-foot 3-pointer as time expired.
It went in.
Lillard finished with 50 points, Portland won 118-115 and the Thunder’s season was over.
He then stared toward the Oklahoma City bench and waved goodbye.
The shot became much bigger than a single playoff highlight. Oklahoma City traded George to the Los Angeles Clippers that summer and dealt Westbrook to the Houston Rockets days later, breaking apart the Thunder team Lillard had just eliminated.
View this post on Instagram Lillard Later Explained What Westbrook Rivalry Was Really LikeTime also revealed something that was harder to see while Lillard and Westbrook were trying to beat each other.
There was real admiration underneath the hostility.
After another meeting between the two in January 2020, Lillard posted an image of himself embracing Westbrook and wrote that people “confuse competing with hate” when watching two ruthless competitors go at one another.
Lillard went even further when discussing Westbrook years later.
During a 2024 appearance on Jeff Teague’s “Club 520” podcast, Lillard described his battles with Westbrook as the most enjoyable rivalry he experienced in the NBA, while also recalling how Westbrook tried to bully him competitively earlier in his career.
That distinction matters now.
The trash talk was real. So was the antagonism. Lillard plainly wanted to beat Westbrook, and the 2019 series gave him the most emphatic possible way to do it.
But Lillard’s retirement message completes a much different picture of their relationship than the clips of the two guards barking at one another might suggest.
Westbrook walked away as the NBA’s career triple-double king and one of the most relentless guards of his generation. Lillard, one of the rivals who tested him at his peak — and delivered one of his career’s most crushing defeats — needed only three letters to summarize where he believes Westbrook belongs next.
“HOF.”
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