Russell Westbrook has officially called it a career, and somehow, the basketball world still has not recovered.
On Wednesday, the NBA player announced his retirement from professional basketball. The news came as a surprise because Westbrook reportedly still had teams interested in signing him during free agency.
But Westbrook decided he was done.
No more chasing contracts, no more proving himself, no more waking up for another NBA season.
He wanted to leave the game on his own terms.
“Seeing Russ hang it up kind of made me a little emotional because we had so many great battles, and he’s one of the greatest players of our generation.”
– Klay Thompson
(h/t @yoxics ) pic.twitter.com/xNK9cFtRyn
— NBACentral (@TheDunkCentral) August 14, 2026
His retirement announcement quickly brought reactions from players around the league. One of the most emotional came from Dallas Mavericks guard Klay Thompson.
Thompson, appearing on PlaqueBoyMax’s live stream, gave props to Westbrook for the wonderful 18-year career he had in the NBA.
“Seeing Russ hang it up kind of made me a little emotional because we had so many great battles, and he’s one of the greatest players of our generation,” Thompson said, via NBA Central on X.
Thompson and Westbrook have had some epic battles on the court over the years, most notably in the 2016 NBA playoffs, when Thompson’s Golden State Warriors and Westbrook’s Oklahoma City Thunder engaged in a bloodbath in the Western Conference Finals. In the end, it was the Dubs that came out on top, storming back from a 3-1 series deficit and changing the course of the NBA forever.
Klay’s reaction was also fitting because Westbrook’s career is bigger than the arguments surrounding him. There will always be debates about his shooting, playoff performances, trades, and different stops around the league.
But there is no debating the impact: Westbrook gave basketball everything.
Now he gets to enjoy life without someone yelling, “Run it back!”
And honestly, after all those triple-doubles, the man has earned a very long timeout.
