This morning we woke up to news we never wanted to read.
Russell Westbrook has decided to retire from professional basketball after 18 seasons in the NBA.
That was confirmed by sources close to journalist Shams Charania, despite recent links to Hapoel Jerusalem.
Last season, after many back-and-forths, he finally agreed to a one-year contract with the Sacramento Kings, where he ended up starting.
In 64 games under head coach Doug Christie, he posted averages of 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds and 6.7 assists per game.
Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end.
You had to be there. And now it’s over. pic.twitter.com/6YoOW8WyIV— Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) August 12, 2026
Developed at UCLA between 2006 and 2008, Westbrook reached the NBA with the 4th pick of the 2008 Draft, selected by the now-defunct Seattle Supersonics.
After 11 seasons donning the OKC Thunder jersey, he subsequently wore the jerseys of the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, and the Sacramento Kings mentioned earlier.
He played in more than 1,300 official games with NBA career averages of 20.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, 8 assists and 1.6 steals in 33.1 minutes per game.
He was the Regular Season MVP in 2017; a 9-time All-Star and two-time MVP of the All-Star Game; twice named to the First Team All-NBA, five times to the Second Team and twice to the Third.
Additionally, with Team USA he earned the gold medal at the 2010 World Championship and also the gold at the 2012 London Olympic Games.
