Kevin Durant Breaks Silence on Russell Westbrook’s NBA Retirement

On Wednesday, Russell Westbrook announced his retirement from the NBA after 18 years in the league. The nine-time All-Star ends his career as the NBA’s all-time leader in triple-doubles.

As messages continue to pour in for Westbrook, former teammate and current Houston Rockets forward Kevin Durant also paid his respects. In a lengthy X post, Durant highlighted Westbrook’s leadership style and his impact on the court.

“He lead by example and once the lights were bright, he let everything out and experienced pure freedom. It was inspiring as his teammate and everywhere I went, I seen it inspire people from all walks of life, crazy thing is, he didn’t say much, he just showed up. For 18 years…keep inspiring in the next phase of life champ. I don’t care what happens, can’t erase what it was…”

The Durant and Westbrook Connection

Durant and Westbrook were drafted in back-to-back years, developing into a formidable duo for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The duo played together for eight seasons, resulting in four Western Conference Finals appearances.

Both 23 years old at the time, Durant and Westbrook had the most collective success when leading the Thunder to an NBA Finals appearance in 2012. Although Oklahoma City’s young stars fell short to the Miami Heat, each star continued to experience success when their paths split.

In 2016, Durant made the controversial decision to sign with the Golden State Warriors. This came after Golden State’s 73-9 lineup eliminated the Thunder in a Western Conference Finals series that took all seven games. Durant quickly won two consecutive NBA championships with the Warriors, being named the NBA Finals MVP in both series.

With Durant in Golden State, Westbrook became the de facto leader of the Thunder and began to accumulate triple-doubles. Winning the 2017 MVP award, Westbrook averaged 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists over 81 games. Westbrook became the second NBA player to average a triple-double for a season, with the first being Oscar Robertson.

In head-to-head faceoffs, Westbrook finishes with a narrow 13-12 edge over Durant. Though there was reported tension between the two players following Durant’s departure from Oklahoma City, the pair showed mutual respect over the years.

Overall, Durant and Westbrook put the league on notice while working toward their respective prime years. While the Thunder reunion never came to be, the two players both made an impact on each other’s careers and shared a connection that is remembered well beyond their time together in Oklahoma City.