US basketball player Russell Westbrook arrives for the 2026 Met Gala celebrating "Costume Art" at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, in New York, on May 4, 2026. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP via Getty Images)
Russell Westbrook, the NBA’s career leader in triple-doubles and the 2017 MVP, is hanging up his jersey for good. He announced on Wednesday (August 12) that he’s retiring after 18 seasons.
The two-time scoring champion shared his decision on social media, posting a video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan. In the clip, the guard never says a word and MBJ doesn’t appear.
“Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end,” Westbrook wrote in the caption. “You had to be there. And now it’s over.”
The video starts with Russell walking through what appears to be a museum of his life and basketball career. The opening of the video reads, “The Museum Of Unspoken Answers.” Meanwhile, the ‘Creed’ actor informs the viewer that he’s not going to tell us what anything in the clip means. Instead, he’s going to show us and ask Westbrook questions that “deserve to be asked.”
At one point in the clip, Michael B. Jordan asks, “Russ, what kept you going all of these years?”Moments later, MBJ says, “You know, people forget, before he was a walking headline, he was just a kid from inner city LA who could jump higher than anybody ever had the right to. Somewhere between the dunks and the draft classes, he became something else. Not just a player, a personality. A meme before we even called it that. A husband, a father, a guy in a kilt at the Met…what did winning mean to him?…Not just the trophies…some things you don’t say, you just play them over and over until everyone else understands, too.”
Towards the end of the video, Russell Westbrook walks into and sits in a room under construction, which represents his next chapter. MBJ says the room was left that way on purpose because several parts of Westbrook’s life “haven’t been built yet.” The clip ends with the actor claiming it’s the best interview he’s ever done. “He didn’t say a word and somehow I understood everything,” MBJ says as the shot ends on Westbrook.
Within six hours of being posted on Instagram, Russell Westbrook’s announcement had over 768,000 likes and more than 45,000 comments, including from fellow celebrities. Also, the clip has been viewed over 10.4 million times.
Michael B. Jordan slid into the comment section, writing, “Thank you for all youve given to the game!! @russwest44 .”
Miami Heat player, Giannis Antetokounmpo, commented: “Incredible career, brother. You made people around the world feel your presence and love for the game. There are not a lot of people who played harder than you. ”
San Antonio Spurs player,Tobias Harris, added, “Salute! Legend on & off the floor. Keep inspiring the youth. ”
NBA veteran, Deron Williams said, “Nope I don’t believe it. Don’t want to believe it too much left in the tank!!! But if it is the end bro it was a please to compete against you and share the court with you. Congrats on a first ballot career!!! ”
SingerTankcommented, “Thank you family! Youve given more than game.. Youve given life!.. Without you where would we be..”
RapperYG dropped a bunch of emojis, “....,”whileYoung Thugadded two, “.”
Former WNBA player, Ty Young, wrote, “Hell of a career Brodie. Congrats #Legend”
Shad Moss, aka Bow Wow, added, “Damn GOOD SH*T MY BOY! ”
Kevin Hartcommented, “A FUCKING LEGEND .”
Lalasaid, “Legend!!!!!!!!!!”
Westbrook was the No. 4 pick in 2008 out of UCLA by the Seattle SuperSonics, just before they moved to Oklahoma City. He played his first 11 seasons with the Thunder and spent this past season with the Sacramento Kings. He led the NBA in assists three times and was a two-time MVP of the All-Star Game. Additionally, he won an Olympic gold medal in the 2012 London Games. In 2021, the NBA selected him for the league’s 75th-anniversary team.
Russell Westbrook leaves with 209 triple-doubles, the last on March 15. Nikola Jokic ranks second in that category with 198 going into this season. Westbrook also holds the NBA mark for most triple-doubles in a season with 42 in 2016-17, when he earned his only MVP award. He averaged double figures for points and assists in five of six seasons starting in the 2015-16 season.
Russell Westbrook also played for Houston, Washington, the Lakers and Clippers splitting the 2022-23 season between the Los Angeles teams and Denver. Last season, Westbrook started 58 of the 64 games he played for Sacramento. He averaged 15.2 points and 6.7 assists.
