After 18 seasons in the NBA, former UCLA standout Russell Westbrook officially retired on Wednesday. The 37-year-old guard, who suited up for both Los Angeles franchises during his career, shared the announcement in a video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan.
Originally from Long Beach, he spent two years playing college basketball at UCLA before the Seattle SuperSonics selected him fourth overall in the 2008 NBA draft. Prior to his rookie campaign, the franchise relocated to Oklahoma City and was rebranded as the Thunder.
Westbrook spent his first 11 years in Oklahoma City, establishing himself among the premier guards in the league. During the 2016-17 campaign, he earned Most Valuable Player honors after becoming only the second player in league history to average a triple-double across an entire season—a feat he ultimately accomplished four times.
A nine-time All-Star and nine-time All-NBA selection, Westbrook claimed two scoring titles and led the league in assists on three occasions. Following his tenure in Oklahoma City, he played for the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards before being traded to the Lakers in 2021.
His time with the Lakers spanned under two seasons before a trade sent him to the Utah Jazz in February 2023. After agreeing to a contract buyout, he joined the Clippers, where he remained through the 2023-24 season. He subsequently moved to the Denver Nuggets before finishing his career with the Sacramento Kings during the 2025-26 season.
In his final year with Sacramento, Westbrook appeared in 64 games, including 58 starts, posting averages of 15.2 points, 6.7 assists, and 5.4 rebounds per contest. Over his 18-year career, he accumulated totals of 27,176 points, 10,351 assists, and 9,025 rebounds.
He steps away as the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles with 209. He also finished fifth on the league’s career assists list and became the first guard in NBA history to gather more than 9,000 rebounds. Joining LeBron James, he is one of only two players ever to record at least 25,000 points and 10,000 assists.
While Westbrook never won an NBA championship, he was named to the NBA’s 75th Anniversary Team and earned a gold medal representing the United States at the 2012 London Olympics.
