Russell Westbrook Announces Retirement from NBA

Published August 12, 2026 at 8:15 PM

Quick Facts

NBA star Russell Westbrook has announced his retirement from the league
He made the announcement via a video narrated by Michael B. Jordan

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We’re really approaching the end of an era, aren’t we? That group of NBA superstars who dominated the mid-to-late 2000s through the 2010s is on the way out. We’ve already seen the likes of Chris Paul and Dwyane Wade end their NBA careers, and now Russell Westbrook is joining them in retirement.

Russell Westbrook's Retirement Video

Russ made the announcement via a three-plus-minute video posted to his social media, with narration provided by Oscar-winning actor Michael B. Jordan. The video chronicles Westbrook’s rise from a kid in South Central LA to becoming the fourth overall pick by the Seattle SuperSonics in 2008, and everything that went down during his Hall of Fame-worthy career. Triple-doubles galore, NBA MVP, nine NBA All-Star selections, an Olympic gold medal in 2012, and so much more.

Throughout his illustrious career, Westbrook played for seven different franchises, starting with Oklahoma City in 2008. The squad had just relocated from Seattle, and he was part of a formidable Big 3 with Kevin Durant and James Harden by his side. After his long stint with OKC, he joined the Houston Rockets for the 2019-2020 NBA season, and from there, he bounced around the league. The Washington Wizards had him for a single season, then he joined LeBron and the Lakers from 2021 to 2023, heading across town to the Clippers for the 23-24 NBA season. Finally, he played lone seasons in Denver and Sacramento in the 24-25 and 25-26 NBA seasons, respectively.

According to Shams Charania, both the Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings wanted Russ to play for them in the 2026-27 NBA season, but Westbrook chose to "step away from the game on his own terms."

Russell Westbrook’s Sneakers

While Russ wasn’t able to maintain his mega-star and stat sheet-filled status, he did have the honor of becoming a signature athlete with Jordan Brand. He signed with Jordan in 2012 and received his first model, the Why Not Zer0.1 in 2018. He would launch five more mainline signature models, with his final sneaker release being a takedown model, the Jordan One Take 5.

Maybe in a few years, we’ll see Jordan Brand bring back some of Westbrook’s signature sneakers in retro runs, but for now, we’ll have to cherish the memories of the OKC Big 3 and the triple-double machine that was Russell Westbrook.