Thunder To Retire Russell Westbrook’s Jersey On Feb. 7

Westbrook ended his 18-year playing career over the summer when he decided to retire. In about three months, his jersey will hang in the rafters of the Paycom Center (it will also be in the new arena, the Continental Coliseum, when it opens in 2028).

A 6’4″ point guard, Westbrook spent his first 11 seasons with Oklahoma City after he was selected No. 4 overall in the 2008 draft. The 37-year-old made eight All-Star and eight All-NBA teams (nine for both overall) during his time with the Thunder, with the individual highlight being the 2016/17 season, when he led the league in scoring while becoming the first player to average a triple-double since Oscar Robertson achieved the feat in 1961/62.

Westbrook currently holds the most triple-doubles in NBA history with 209, though he’ll likely be passed at some point this season by former teammate Nikola Jokic, who recently recorded No. 200.

In addition to his long list of individual achievements, Westbrook also helped the Thunder make four trips to the Western Conference finals from 2008-19. Oklahoma City advanced to the NBA Finals in 2012, when the team lost to Miami.

Westbrook, who played for Houston, Washington, the Lakers, the Clippers, Denver and Sacramento from 2019-26, averaged 20.9 points, 8.0 assists, 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals on .438/.308/.771 shooting splits in 1301 career regular season games (33.1 minutes per contest).

Thunder chairman Clay Bennett and general manager Sam Presti both released statements regarding the team’s plans, per Justin Martinez of The Oklahoman (Twitter links).

“Many players make an impact, but only great players leave a legacy,” Presti said. “Russell Westbrook’s legacy was built both on the court and in the community. His mindset was relentless, his commitment deep. For all those reasons, Oklahomans consider him one of their own and his number will be raised to the rafters, in Oklahoma City forever.”