Sports
Russell Westbrook, Former UCLA, Lakers And Clippers Star, Retires
Westbrook, 37, announced his retirement on Wednesday.
LOS ANGELES, CA — Russell Westbrook, the former UCLA star who went on to play for both the Lakers and Clippers, announced his retirement Wednesday after 18 NBA seasons.
Westbrook, 37, announced his retirement in a video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan.
The Long Beach native played two seasons at UCLA before being selected fourth overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, which relocated to Oklahoma City and became the Thunder before his rookie season.
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Westbrook spent his first 11 NBA seasons with Oklahoma City, developing into one of the league's top guards. He was named the NBA's Most Valuable Player for the 2016-17 season after becoming the second player in league history to average a triple-double for an entire season.
He ultimately averaged a triple-double in four seasons.
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Westbrook was a nine-time All-Star and nine-time All-NBA selection, won two scoring titles and led the league in assists three times.
After leaving Oklahoma City, Westbrook played for the Houston Rockets and Washington Wizards before being traded to the Lakers in 2021.
His tenure with the Lakers lasted less than two seasons. He was traded to the Utah Jazz in February 2023 and subsequently reached a contract buyout agreement, allowing him to sign with the Clippers.
Westbrook remained with the Clippers through the 2023-24 season before joining the Denver Nuggets. He finished his career with the Sacramento Kings during the 2025-26 season.
Westbrook played 64 games, including 58 starts, for Sacramento in his final season, averaging 15.2 points, 6.7 assists and 5.4 rebounds per game.
He finished his career with 27,176 points, 10,351 assists and 9,025 rebounds.
Westbrook's 209 triple-doubles are the most in NBA history. He also finished fifth on the league's career assists list and became the first guard in NBA history to surpass 9,000 rebounds.
Westbrook and LeBron James are the only players in NBA history to record at least 25,000 points and 10,000 assists.
Westbrook never won an NBA championship but was named to the NBA's 75th Anniversary Team. He also won a gold medal with the United States at the 2012 London Olympics.
City News Service
