Triple-double king Russell Westbrook retires from NBA after 18 seasons with 209 triple-doubles and no title

Retirement announcement

Russell Westbrook, the NBA's all-time leader in triple-doubles and the 2017 Most Valuable Player, announced his retirement on 12 August 2026 after 18 seasons. The 37-year-old guard shared the decision in a three-and-a-half-minute social media video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan, in which Westbrook is shown watching highlights of his career without speaking a word. He accompanied the post with a written message on his social media accounts.

Sometimes you don't even know when you've already watched the end. You had to be there. And now it's over.

Oklahoma City years

Selected fourth overall by the Seattle SuperSonics in the 2008 NBA Draft out of UCLA, Westbrook moved with the franchise to Oklahoma City before his rookie season. He spent 11 campaigns with the Thunder, forming a formidable partnership with Kevin Durant and reaching the NBA Finals in 2012, when James Harden was also on the roster. That Thunder team lost to the Miami Heat of LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Westbrook made eight of his nine All-Star appearances in Oklahoma City and established himself among the premier guards in the league.

His crowning individual achievement came in 2016-17, when he averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists to become the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1961-62 to average a triple-double over a full season. He recorded 42 triple-doubles that year, a single-season NBA record, and earned his only MVP award. Westbrook ultimately averaged a triple-double across a season four times.

Career totals and records

Westbrook retires with 209 career triple-doubles, having surpassed Oscar Robertson's half-century-old record in 2021 to become the all-time leader. Nikola Jokić ranks second with 198 entering the upcoming season. Westbrook's career totals include 27,176 points (14th all-time), 10,351 assists (fifth all-time) and 9,025 rebounds, making him the first guard in NBA history to grab more than 9,000 rebounds. He is one of only two players, alongside LeBron James, to record at least 25,000 points and 10,000 assists.

Over 1,301 regular-season games with seven franchises, Westbrook averaged 20.9 points, 8.0 assists and 6.9 rebounds. In 135 playoff games, he averaged 22.5 points, 7.1 assists and 6.7 rebounds. He led the NBA in scoring twice (2014-15 and 2016-17) and in assists three times, and was named All-Star Game MVP on two occasions. A nine-time All-Star and nine-time All-NBA selection, he was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team and won an Olympic gold medal with the United States at the 2012 London Games.

Final seasons

After leaving Oklahoma City, Westbrook had shorter stints with the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers and Denver Nuggets. His Lakers tenure lasted under two seasons before a February 2023 trade to the Utah Jazz, after which he agreed to a contract buyout and joined the Clippers. He finished his career with the Sacramento Kings in the 2025-26 season, averaging 15.2 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds in 64 games with 58 starts. He never won an NBA championship.

All-Star guard Trae Young reacted on X.

An absolute legend! What an incredible career!