They Love to Hate You While They Can — And That’s OK
Russell Westbrook was never for everybody. That was part of the point.
He announced his retirement from the NBA after 18 seasons of unrelenting, high-octane basketball—a journey that began when the Seattle SuperSonics selected him fourth overall in the 2008 NBA Draft and ended as one of the most extraordinary, polarizing, and historic careers in basketball history.
For 13 straight years, Westbrook started every single game he played in. He was, unquestionably, one of the most athletic point guards this league has ever seen—standing alongside Derrick Rose at the very top of that mountain.
The Numbers: Facts, Not Arguments
We can look at things statistically and appreciate the sheer absurdity of his production. There will always be debates in sports, but statistics aren’t arguments—they are cold, hard facts.
RUSSELL WESTBROOK: CAREER AT A GLANCE ┌──────────────────────────────┬────────────────────────────────────────┐ │ Career Seasons │ 18 │ │ NBA MVP │ 2017 │ │ All-Star Selections │ 9-Time │ │ All-Time Career Assists │ 5th All-Time │ │ All-Time Career Scoring │ 14th (27,176 Points) │ │ All-Time Triple-Doubles │ 1st All-Time (209) │ │ Single-Season Triple-Doubles │ 42 (2016–17 NBA Record) │ └──────────────────────────────┴────────────────────────────────────────┘
- The Triple-Double King: He won the 2017 NBA MVP after averaging a triple-double and shattering Oscar Robertson’s single-season mark with 42. In 2021, he broke Big O’s career record of 181, eventually pushing the all-time mark to 209 career triple-doubles.
- The Elite Playmaker: Think about the thousands upon thousands of point guards who have played in the NBA. Only four players in the history of basketball have recorded more assists than Russell Westbrook: John Stockton, Chris Paul, Jason Kidd, and LeBron James.
- The Bucket Getter: He finishes 14th on the NBA’s all-time scoring list with 27,176 points. At the time of his retirement, only three active players sat ahead of him: LeBron James, Kevin Durant, and James Harden.
Nine All-Star selections. Two scoring titles. Three assist titles. An MVP.
Unapologetic, Unfiltered, and Unafraid
There will be plenty of conversation about what Westbrook couldn’t do. His jump shot, his decision-making at 100 miles an hour, the turnovers, and the championship that never came. That conversation is fair. He reached the Finals in 2012 with OKC alongside Durant and Harden, and he made deep runs in Houston, but a ring eluded him.
He won’t be discussed the same way as Steph Curry—a four-time champion and the greatest shooter in basketball history. He won’t be discussed the same way as KD or LeBron. Fine. But retirement is not the time to pretend the flaws were the whole story.
“You could criticize his jump shot. You could question his decision-making. You could argue about whether his style translated perfectly to winning basketball. But there is one criticism that NEVER belonged on the table: You could NEVER question his effort. Not for one single day in his 18-year career.”
Every possession looked personal. Every rebound was an argument. Every fast break felt like someone pulled the pin on a grenade. He played with an intensity that bordered on violence, driven by a fire in his belly that never dimmed. He showed zero fear, regardless of who stood in front of him.
If an opponent wore the opposite uniform, he wasn’t interested in making friends—he was interested in beating them. But for his teammates, that warrior was in the trenches with them, ready to go to war every night.
The Hypocrisy of “Flowers After the Fact”
The moment Westbrook stepped away, the tone across the basketball world shifted dramatically. After years of harsh critique, the praise poured in.
Golden State Warriors veteran Draymond Green didn’t hold back when calling out that exact shift on The Draymond Green Show:
“Basketball fans suck,” Green said. “And by the way, I am a basketball fan, so you can throw me in that category, too. But basketball fans suck. Because for the last 8 to 10 years, all this guy has heard is how bad he sucks, how he don’t shoot it well, how he stat pad, and how he mess up teams… ‘Westbrick’ and all the things y’all said about him. And the moment he step aside, ‘Oh man, y’all did Russ wrong… Gonna miss him.’ Why can’t we feel that when you going?”
Draymond put a mirror up to basketball discourse. For a decade, casual viewers and pundits tore Westbrook down, weaponizing every missed jumper and turnover into national memes. Yet the instant he announced his retirement, those same voices rushed to celebrate his hall-of-fame credentials.
THE POLARIZING REALITY ┌────────────────────────────────────────┬───────────────────────────────────────┐ │ WHAT THE CRITICS SAW │ WHAT THE GAME FELT │ ├────────────────────────────────────────┼───────────────────────────────────────┤ │ • Volatile shot selection │ • Unrivaled competitive fervor │ │ • Turnovers operating at top speed │ • Relentless, night-in-night-out drag │ │ • Zero interest in media pleasantries │ • Unapologetic authenticity │ │ • A championship-less resume │ • A player you FELT every single possession│ └────────────────────────────────────────┴───────────────────────────────────────┘
According to reports, teams like the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards still wanted him on their roster. But Russ chose to walk away on his own terms. No big press conference, no drawn-out farewell tour—just a simple, profound video posted on social media.
He knew how to save and invest his money, building a business footprint that includes dealerships across California.
Beyond basketball, he consistently invested in his family and his community. His philanthropy in South Central Los Angeles and his voice during the George Floyd movement reflect who he has always been. He could be combative with the media, sure. But there isn’t a fake bone in his body. He understood that being authentic does not require being universally liked.
The Legacy
As highlighted in his retirement message:
“Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end. You had to be there, and now it’s over.”
There are players remembered for their championships. There are players remembered for their shooting. And then there are players remembered because you felt them. Russell Westbrook was one of those players.
If every player who walked into the NBA played as hard on a night-in, night-out basis as Russell Westbrook religiously did for 18 years, the league would never have to worry about the quality of competition. He never cheated the game, he never cheated the fans, and he never cheated himself.
In a few years, he will take his rightful place on stage in Springfield, Massachusetts, inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame.
They loved to hate him while they could. And that’s okay. Respect that man. He earned it.
