The end didn't appear near when Russell Westbrook declined his $3.5 million player option in June 2025. After a productive season with the Denver Nuggets, Westbrook's sights were set on year 18.
NBA preseason hoops kicks off tonight, and Westbrook is still not rostered. Teams aren't eager to add the nine-time All-Star and 2017 NBA MVP just weeks before their championship pursuit. Though Westbrook's trophy case is more bedazzled than most, he won't be the first or last legend to be pushed out the door involuntarily if this is the end.
The Houston Rockets demonstrated that when they toyed around with Carmelo Anthony's career in 2019. The Rockets were notoriously a 3-point and layup squad; it was malpractice to bring in Anthony and chastise a midrange shooter for being just that. The Rockets knew what they signed up for.
Despite that, the Rockets cut Anthony after just 10 games with the team, and the narrative was out. "Anthony won't adjust to the new NBA". The stench stuck with Melo for the rest of that season, as he wasn't rostered until the 2020 season.
Dwight Howard didn't leave the NBA on his own accord. To this day, even after making the Hall of Fame, Howard still fantasizes about returning to the NBA hardwood. Howard still believes the combination of him and Luka Dončić pick-and-roll could still wreck defenses. Howard hasn't been in the league since 2022, but still expresses a strong desire to continue as a contributor.
Using Howard and Anthony as reference points to illustrate how even legends can be pushed out the door is key because all three of these players are first-ballot Hall of Fame-type guys. If this is the end for Westbrook, the least you could do is value his never stop, never quit legacy.
Russell Westbrook is a legend despite his flaws
Teams were sour on Howard at the end (his whole career, actually) because he was known as a goofball. Whether that's fair or not is another question, but that was his reality.
Anthony was known as a shoot-first, pass-never ball hog at his peak. There's hyperbole involved there, but that smut on his name carried over after his peak, and teams weren't interested in a backup face-up midrange shooting wing.
His physical decline illuminates Westbrook's flaws. Westbrook has always been a head-scratching decision-maker and a turnover machine. Despite his physical profile, Westbrook has never been the elite defender his body type suggests he should be. Those holes may be the reason he's not employed by an NBA team today.
Despite those warts, Westbrook is one of the greatest point guards ever. He's an insane floor raiser and an accolde junkie. There's no doubt Westbrook will join Springfield in five years if he doesn't lace them up again.
Grant Hill's prime was cut short, but he was elite at his peak. Here are his accolades from an exceptional 18-year career: seven-time All-Star, five-time All-NBA, and 1995 Rookie of the Year. He was inducted as a first ballot Hall-of-Famer in 2018. His college career contributed to that nomination, but his resume still falls short compared to Westbrook's.
In 17 years, Westbrook has become a nine-time All-Star, a two-time scoring champion, a three-time assists leader, a nine-time All-NBA selection, the 2017 MVP, and is part of the NBA's 75th anniversary team. Not to mention he averaged a triple-double — four times!
The precedent is set, Westbrook is a first-ballot legend when he calls it quits. His insane triple-double legacy is a testament to his never-quit demeanor.
Averaging 10 rebounds a game at the guard spot is otherworldly. Magic Johnson and Oscar Robertson (the only other guard to average a triple-double) were known as fantastic guard rebounders, but they were 6-foot-9 and 6-foot-5, respectively. Westbrook is listed at 6-foot-4 and battled with trees in his prime.
Detractors will point to teammates allowing Westbrook to snag "easy" rebounds to keep the triple-doubles rolling in, but Westbrook's ability to get it and go was the Thunder's best offense.
OKC was the third-best fastbreak team in 2017, largely due to Westbrook's playing style. Why wait for your playmaker to get an outlet pass when they can take it off the glass to push themselves?
Besides the fact that Westbrook consistently owned bigs on the glass with his pogo stick bunnies and determination to grab rebounds, his offensive rebound numbers are even more impressive.
Offensive rebounds are a telltale sign of an elite rebounder because nobody is clearing out for those. Per Cleaning the Glass, Westbrook has ranked in at least the 94th percentile amongst point or combo guards for offensive rebound percentage every year of his career.
Westbrook was ranked in the 100th percentile in 2009, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, and 2021. The truth is, he was a great rebounder even before he averaged a triple-double. He's a man without peers on the glass at the guard spot.
Westbrook is one of nine players to win three or more assists titles. That's not a list many thought he'd be on in his younger days, but that's another testament to his hard work and determination. Westbrook was known as a lockdown defender coming out of UCLA, but the point guard he became wasn't on most people's radar.
Leading the league in scoring twice isn't a small feat. Larry Bird, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, and Shaquille O'Neal didn't do that. Kobe Bryant did it twice, just like Westbrook.
Westbrook might not have been seen as a typical bucket getter of the past, but he was an explosive athlete who lived at the rim. Westbrook's poster catalog is another piece of his legacy. Is he the best poster dunking point guard ever? He's certainly in the discussion.
Baron Davis, Derrick Rose, Steve Francis, and Nate Robinson all have cases for that claim, but Westbrook's highlight reel is next level, and he might get the nod because he's the most accomplished player here.
That 2017 season is one of his greatest accomplishments. Talk about a carry job. The floor-raising displayed by Westbrook leads one to believe the Thunder were making the playoffs even if Westbrook had G-League teammates by his side. The clutch baskets and moments tell part of the history in Oklahoma City.
Even if this is the end for Westbrook, he will go down as a basketball legend. The fire he played with cannot be duplicated. That fire and aggression was a double-edged sword, but it's the reason OKC embraced him.
There's no doubt that Westbrook has had some down-below lows in his career, but his energy-bunny peak is how I'll choose to remember him.
Russell Westbrook is the best point guard rebounder and dunker, a tenacious competitor, and one of the only players who's never cheated the fans with a lack of effort.