NBA’s Triple-Double King Announces Retirement After 18 Seasons

The video recounts Westbrook's journey to the league, from being taken fourth overall out of UCLA by the Seattle SuperSonics, to his impact on Oklahoma City over his 11 years with the franchise, ending with a vague peek into Westbrook’s next chapter. 

Mr. Triple Double retires with one of the most stacked resumes in NBA history. The all-time triple double leader ends his career with a total of 209, just 11 ahead of his former teammate Nikola Jokić, who will likely take the crown next season. Westbrook ends his career as the all-time triple double leader for both the Oklahoma City Thunder and Washington Wizards.

Westbrook’s peak years came in Oklahoma City, where the Thunder guard won his only MVP in 2017, averaging 31.6 points, 10.4 assists and 10.7 rebounds. That season was only one of a legendary run he had with the team. 

He made the finals once with OKC in 2012 alongside future MVPs Kevin Durant and James Harden, forming one of the league’s most formidable big threes. While he never made the finals again, Westbrook made the conference finals four times with the franchise, falling just short of ever winning a Larry O’Brien trophy. 

Westbrook may not have gotten a ring, but he did earn a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics, playing on a stacked USA squad that won it all.

This past season, Westbrook continued to make history with the Sacramento Kings, passing Steve Nash for fifth on the NBA’s all-time assists list, joining LeBron James as the only players in league history with over 25,000 points and 10,000 assists. To add to the records, Westbrook also became the first guard in NBA history to record over 9,000 rebounds in his career.

His all-around game made Westbrook one of the best players in the league for well over a decade, making nine All-Star teams, nine All-NBA teams, winning two All-Star MVPs, leading the league in points twice in 2015 and 2017 and winning the assist crown in 2018, 2019 and 2021. 

Even at 37, Westbrook had plenty left in the tank to go for another season, averaging 15.2 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds as a valuable role player on a bad Kings team this past season.

There is a time though, when all players must hang it up, and Westbrook decided that time is now. He retires as a definitive member of TWSN’s top 50 NBA player list, with a place in the Hall of Fame certain, just needing to wait the two season minimum to be enshrined forever in Springfield, Mass.