Russell Westbrook is calling it a career.
The nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA selection, former MVP and reigning triple-double king announced his retirement from basketball Wednesday. Westbrook made the announcement in a video narrated by actor Michael B Jordan that he shared on social media.
That video features Westbrook watching his career highlights on a big screen then looking to “whatever’s next, the mentorship, the foundation, the kids who are going to grow up wanting to move just like he did.”
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It concludes with Jordan asking: “Now that you’ve decided to step away from everything on your own terms, what are you most proud of?”
Westbrook doesn’t answer the question or say a word in the video. He saved his own brief statement for his social media post:
“Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end.
“You had to be there. And now it’s over.”
With that, Westbrook’s NBA career is finished after 18 seasons at 37 years old. He leaves the game with gas in the tank, having played in 64 games last season for the Sacramento Kings, including 58 starts.
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He remained productive with 15.8 points, 6.7 assists, 5.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game in his final season and had developed into a beloved veteran locker room presence wherever he played.
But as Jordan noted in the retirement video, Westbrook opted to go out on his own terms rather than continue to play until he could no longer contribute to an NBA roster.
This story will be updated.
