Los angeles: Former NBA Most Valuable Player Russell Westbrook announced Wednesday his retirement after 18 seasons in the league. 'Sometimes you don't even know when you've already watched the end. You had to be there. And now it's over,' the 37-year-old guard wrote on the US social media company X.

According to Anadolu Agency, Westbrook shared a video narrated by actor Michael B. Jordan celebrating highlights from his career and reflecting on what comes next. The nine-time All-Star retires with career averages of 20.9 points, 6.9 rebounds, and 8 assists per game. He is the NBA's all-time leader with 209 regular-season triple-doubles, having surpassed Oscar Robertson's record of 181 in 2021.

Westbrook became the first player since Robertson in the 1961-62 season to average a triple-double throughout an entire season, achieving the feat in 2016-17. He went on to average a triple-double in four seasons. He won his only MVP award that season after averaging 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds, and 10.4 assists.

Westbrook spent his first 11 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder, forming a star trio with Kevin Durant and James Harden. They helped the Thunder win the Western Conference title in 2012 before losing to the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. He remains the Thunder's all-time leader in points, assists, rebounds, and steals.

Westbrook was traded to the Houston Rockets following the 2018-19 season. He later played for the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, and Sacramento Kings. He spent no more than two seasons with any of those teams and ended his career with Sacramento in the 2025-26 campaign.

Westbrook recorded 27,176 points and had 10,351 assists during his career, ranking among the all-time leaders in both categories.