Russell Westbrook has announced his NBA retirement. The future Hall-of-Famer posted a self-made tribute video that highlighted his career accolades on Wednesday.
In the video, Westbrook wrote a caption that revealed his decision to hang up his sneakers. The 37-year-old played in 18 NBA seasons from 2008-26. He spent his first 11 seasons on the Thunder. That's where he enjoyed his best years — both at the individual and team level.
"Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end," Westbrook wrote. "You had to be there. And now it’s over."
Westbrook was one of the faces of the NBA's 2010s. Alongside Kevin Durant, they headlined OKC's first title contender for most of the decade. He won the 2016-17 MVP on the Thunder. He also made one NBA Finals trip and four Western Conference Finals appearances in his time there.
Westbrook also played for the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings.
On his stacked resume, Westbrook is a one-time MVP winner, nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA member, two-time scoring champion and three-time assist champion. After about 60 years since Oscar Robertson became the first player ever to average a triple-double for an entire season, he rattled off four such years in a five-year span. Completely redefining the statistical achievement.
Goes without saying Westbrook is one of the greatest players in Thunder history. As of now, he owns most of the franchise's all-time records. Even though the final one-third of his career was spent as a journeyman, he's well on his way to making the Hall of Fame and getting his No. 0 retired in OKC.
Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end.
You had to be there. pic.twitter.com/fGBmjdUVvr
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Russell Westbrook announces NBA retirement
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