Consistent and reliable, Russell Westbrook will go down in NBA history as one of the league’s most productive players.
Russell Westbrook revolutionized NBA basketball. As a slashing 6’3 point guard from UCLA, he joined the OKC Thunder in 2008 alongside phenom Kevin Durant. That season, Westbrook averaged 15.3 PPG and finished fourth in Rookie of the Year voting.
He was selected to the All-Star team in Year 3 and proceeded to make the team in nine of the next ten seasons. With impressive averages–25 PPG, 8.7 APG, and 7.6 RPG–Russell averaged a triple-double four times in his career (2016-2017 through 2018-2019 and 2020-2021).
Those achievements make it abundantly clear that Westbrook ranked among the most consistent and dominant guards of the 2010s.
He also responded constructively when Kevin Durant, Westbrook’s longtime teammate, left the Thunder. Now, Westbrook was undeniably the best player on his team for the first time in his career, and he claimed that title with his on-court performance. He won MVP in his first year without Kevin Durant on the Thunder, posted a career-high and league-leading 31.6 PPG, and averaged a triple-double for the season.
Westbrook played only two more years with the Thunder. He migrated after that. First in Houston, where he earned the last All-Star nod of his career. Then on to Washington, where he recorded his last triple-double-averaging season. The pace quickened after that: to the Lakers, then Clippers, Nuggets, and finally Sacramento in 2025-26.
Over 18 years, Westbrook produced solid numbers every season, including becoming the all-time NBA career triple-double leader.
Westbrook is a legendary figure of the 2010s NBA. His court presence will be missed by many, including me.
