Russell Westbrook, a player who scored, rebounded and passed like few others, helped define an era of the NBA
Scott Brooks coached Russell Westbrook at two points during Westbrook’s 18 NBA seasons – early in Westbrook’s career with the Oklahoma City Thunder as the point guard showed signs of what he could become and later with the Washington Wizards after he had won Kia MVP.
At Westbrook’s predraft workout for the Thunder, Brooks’ first thought was: “Thank goodness I’m not an NBA point guard anymore because there’s no way I can stay in front of this guy.”
When Westbrook played for the Wizards and was in the middle of another season in which he averaged a triple-double, Brooks told a few reporters, “I’m going to say this another million times in my life. Off record, on record, with my wife, with my son, with my daughter, with my friends, I tell everybody the same thing: the guy’s a winner and he’s fun to coach because he competes every night and he wants it every night.”
Westbrookon Wednesdayannounced his retirement from the NBA, and if his Basketball Hall of Fame candidacy needs an official spokesperson, it could be Brooks. Of course, Westbrook won’t need Brooks’ help, not after what he accomplished.
Westbrook, 37, is one of the NBA’s all-time great point guards, a player who scored, rebounded and passed like few others and helped define an era of the NBA
He averaged 20.9 points, 8.0 assists, 6.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals, combining speed, strength, athleticism and skill set into a ferocious force.
Westbrook averaged a triple-double for an entire season four times, including 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.6 assists in 2016-17, the season he won MVP. He is one of three players (Oscar Robertson and Nikola Jokić) to average a triple-double in a season and is the only one to do it four times
Russell Westbrook 2016-17 MVP Season Highlights
Take a look back at Russell Westbrook’s MVP highlights from his 2016-17 season with the Thunder
Westbrook, one of the best rebounding guards in league history, retires as the league’s all-time leader in triple-doubles (209) and No. 1 in triple-doubles in a season (42).
- Made the All-NBA and All-Star teams nine times.
- Won All-Star MVP twice.
- Led the league in scoring twice.
- Topped the league in assists twice.
- Won a gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics.
- Was named one of the NBA’s 75 all-time greatest players.
Growing up just outside of Los Angeles, Westbrook played two seasons at UCLA, and the Thunder drafted him with the No. 4 overall pick in the 2008 Draft. He joined a Thunder team on the rise – they drafted Kevin Durant the year before and James Harden in 2009.
Brooks had a young and talented squad. Durant was a Kia Rookie of the Year, and Westbrook made the All-Rookie team a year later. It didn’t take long for those three to find team and individual success.
In his rookie season, Westbrook averaged 15.3 points, 5.3 assists and 4.9 rebounds, a stat line that eludes many players. Westbrook did it in year one, and “that’s not easy to do,” Brooks said.
With Russell Westbrook, James Harden and Kevin Durant leading the way, OKC made several deep postseason runs
The Thunder made the playoffs in 2010, reached the Western Conference Finals in 2011 and advanced to the NBA Finals in 2012, losing to the Miami Heat.
Westbrook spent 11 seasons with the Thunder and also played for the Houston Rockets, Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings.
Westbrook became synonymous with the triple-double – 18 of them in 2015-16; 25 in 2017-18; 34 in 2018-19; 38 in 2020-21; and of course, the record-setting 42 in 2016-17, passing Oscar Robertson’s 41.
During his season with the Wizards in 2020-21, Brooks said, “What Russell does for us goes beyond the stat sheet and he fills the stat sheet like nobody in the history of this game. He’s going to go down as one of the best point guards of all time. His IQ is through the top. His preparation is through the top.”
Here’s an interesting statistic to consider: in games when Westbrook recorded a triple-double, his teams were 153-56, a .732 winning percentage.
“That’s one thing I always pride myself on is making sure I leave it on the floor every single night,” Westbrook said five years ago. “I’ve been blessed and given an opportunity to be able to do that, and I don’t take it for granted.”
Westbrook isn’t done making an impact. His Why Not Foundation “aims to create pathways of empowerment for underserved communities in the areas of educational opportunities, workforce development and accessible mental health re
He once said, “My legacy is what I do off the floor, how many people I’m able to impact and inspire along my journey.”
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Jeff Zillgitt has covered the NBA since 2008. You can email him at jzillgitt@nba.com, find his archive here and follow him on X
