Drafted out of UCLA in 2008, Russell Westbrook would go on to have one of the most legendary careers in NBA history.
The news was announced by Westbrook himself as he has concluded his NBA career after eighteen seasons which was filled with many highs and lows, but most importantly, an impact on the league that will surely be remembered for many decades to come.
Selected fourth overall in the 2008 NBA Draft, Westbrook would play for the then-relocated Oklahoma City Thunder, a team he spent a decade with where he would go on to make it to an NBA Finals against the Miami Heat in 2011-2012.
Westbrook was named an All-Star nine-times in his career, he was a scoring champion in 2015 and 2017, he led the league in assists three times in his career, and on top of being named the MVP in 2017, Westbrook would go on to make history on May 10, 2020, when he posted a stat sheet of 28 points, 13 rebounds and 21 assists in a 125–124 loss to the Atlanta Hawks, recording his 182nd career triple-double and surpassing Oscar Robertson for the most triple-doubles in NBA history.
Westbrook was also selected in the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team, two other names in that list that are still actively playing in the NBA are former teammates of Westbrook on the OKC Thunder, James Harden and Kevin Durant.
The Thunder was the only team Westbrook played for where he spent more than three seasons on there, in his time spent with the Houston Rockets, the Washington Wizards, the Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, the Denver Nuggets, and the Sacramento Kings, he only spent as far as three seasons (Lakers) while the other teams were only one-year decisions.
Westbrook’s resume will undoubtedly cement his legacy in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame, even without winning a ring, the history books when looking back at the contributions he made to his teammates and fans around the world were enough to make people remember The Brodie.
Rami J. Hanna has written about combat and motor sports, as well sports such as baseball and basketball for a number of publications over the last ten years. In addition to his new role at CBC/DSR, Rami also recently began new roles at WrestlePurists and False Finish, and launched his own YouTube channel, VALUABLE with Rami Afif.