Russell Westbrook may be officially done playing in the NBA after 18 seasons.
Westbrook, who played for the Sacramento Kings last season, appeared to announce his retirement in a video narrated by Academy Award-winning actor Michael B. Jordan.
In the video, Westbrook can be seen walking through a “museum” of all his NBA career highlight moments and accomplishments.
Westbrook, notorious for his sometimes terse and short exchanges with the media, stayed true to himself in the video to announce his next chapter off the court. Instead, he opted to let Jordan do the talking.
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The video of Westbrook appearing to announce his retirement from the NBA can be seen below.
“Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end,” Westbrook wrote in the caption for his tweet with the video. “You had to be there. And now it’s over.”
It did not seem like Westbrook was ready to retire as recently as four days ago in an interview released by CNN.
“I love playing basketball,” Westbrook said about signing with a new team, “and if it happens, it works, that’s my plan.”
The interview primarily surrounded Westbrook’s continued efforts to give back to the community through his “Why Not?” foundation. That is something the Los Angeles native will likely have even more time to do if his schedule is not occupied by the 82-game NBA regular season.
“[My primary motivation is] to lead the way. To impact and inspire others. It all stems from community and impact, and that is the focal point of everything,” Westbrook said.
“[The foundation is named] Why Not? because it made me feel I can do anything that I put my mind to. Like why not us? Why not you? Why not me to be able to do great things,” the point guard added.
The explosive point guard, in the conversation for most-athletic guards in NBA history, played the majority of his NBA career with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Westbrook won the 2017 NBA MVP Award with the franchise.
He also played for the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers and Clippers, and Denver Nuggets before finishing with the Kings.
Westbrook finishes his NBA journey with nine All-Star appearances to match his nine All-NBA team selections; he was also named to the NBA 75th Anniversary Team in 2021, which included the 75 best players in league history, according to reporters, current and former players, coaches, general managers, and team executives who voted on the list.
