'Most Triple-Doubles in History' Westbrook Retires After 18 NBA Seasons: "It's Over Now"

*This content was translated by AI.

One of the most explosive guards in NBA history and known as "The Triple-Double Man," Russell Westbrook (38), has announced his retirement after a glittering 18-year career.

Westbrook officially announced his retirement on the 13th (Korea time) via his personal social networking service (SNS). Along with a video of his career, he posted, "Sometimes you don't even realize you've seen your last game. You had to be there. And now it's over."

According to U.S. media outlet 'ESPN,' Westbrook received offers from the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards during this offseason but decided to leave the court he loved by his own choice.

Westbrook spent two years playing college basketball at UCLA before being selected fourth overall in the 2008 NBA Draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. However, that summer the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City, and Westbrook grew into a founding member and cornerstone of the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Oklahoma City organization issued an official statement immediately after Westbrook's retirement announcement: "Westbrook is a competitor. His inner belief and fearless intensity helped build our franchise from day one in 2008. Westbrook will be as successful after basketball as he was during his career. He didn't just accumulate a Hall of Fame-level career by breaking records; he created it by showing all of us the power of the simple question, 'Why not?'"

Westbrook spent the majority of his career, 11 seasons, in Oklahoma City, leading the team alongside Kevin Durant and James Harden to win the Western Conference title in 2011–2012 and advance to the NBA Finals. In Game 4 of the Finals against the Miami Heat, he exploded for 43 points at just 23 years old. Westbrook still holds all of Oklahoma City's franchise records for total points, rebounds, assists, and steals.

Oklahoma City failed to reclaim the throne due to injuries and roster changes. Harden left before the 2012–2013 season opener, and in the first round of the 2012–2013 playoffs, Westbrook suffered a meniscus tear. In 2014–2015, Durant's fractured toe forced an early end to the season, and in the 2015–2016 playoffs, they lost to the 73rd-win Golden State Warriors after a grueling seven-game series. That summer, even Durant left for Golden State, plunging the franchise into its most precarious moment. Yet Westbrook chose to stay, signing an extension and bringing Paul George and Carmelo Anthony to Oklahoma City, thereby preserving the team's dignity.

Especially in 2016–2017, it was the highlight of his career. Westbrook averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists, becoming the first player since Oscar Robertson in 1962 to average a triple-double for an entire season and winning the regular-season MVP award. At that time, Westbrook set the single-season record with 42 triple-doubles.

A nine-time All-Star, Westbrook averaged 20.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 8.0 assists over his career. In 2021, he broke Oscar Robertson's all-time record for most career triple-doubles (181) after 47 years, retiring with an unprecedented 209 career triple-doubles. This surpasses the records of active players Nikola Jokic (198) and LeBron James (125).

After leaving Oklahoma City, Westbrook played for seven teams: Houston, Washington, Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Denver Nuggets, and Sacramento. Even in his final season last year, he started 58 games with Sacramento, averaging 15.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.4 rebounds. During this period, he set the all-time record for most career rebounds by a point guard and became only the second player in NBA history, after LeBron James, to surpass the milestone of 25,000 points and 10,000 assists.

Westbrook finished his career with 27,176 points, ranking 14th all-time in NBA scoring. Among players without a championship ring, he ranks fourth in total points behind Karl Malone (36,928), James Harden (29,339), and Carmelo Anthony (28,289). His career assists rank fifth all-time behind John Stockton, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, and LeBron.

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*This content was translated by AI.