Russell Westbrook has officially called it quits after 18 NBA seasons, over 27,000 points, and roughly $350 million in career earnings.
Gaudy as they are, none of those figures can sum up one of basketball's most fascinating careers, which included stops in Oklahoma City, Houston, Washington, his hometown of Los Angeles (for the Lakers and Clippers), Denver, and Sacramento.
Westbrook could be many different things to different people. He was one of the sports world's most entertaining athletes to watch at his physical peak and one of social media's most meme-able stars during the medium's early rise. He was an unstoppable triple-double machine to his biggest fans and an overrated stat-chaser to his biggest detractors. He was a philanthropist and fashion icon who almost single-handedly turned the tunnel walk into a sartorial runway. He could also be randomly cantankerous with the media.
That said, the same stubborn determination that made it difficult for him to attract contending teams as a free agent is the same defiance that will endear him to more fans as the years pass by. Call it the Iverson effect.
Whatever you thought of Westbrook's overall game, and however we may have nitpicked facets of that game over the years, there's something to be said for his unwillingness to be anything but himself. There's an authenticity to players like Westbrook that becomes easier to appreciate when you no longer have to criticize why he may not fit on a given team.
His ferocious and relentless style of play turned him into a superstar despite his wonky jumper. Was he always engaged off the ball or on the defensive end? No, but few players have ever affected a game with sheer force of will like Westbrook could with the ball in his hands.
Never was that more evident than in the first season after Kevin Durant spurned Westbrook and the Oklahoma City Thunder for the Golden State Warriors. Westbrook averaged nearly a 32-point triple-double during the 2016-17 campaign. Already a five-time All-Star prior to that season, Westbrook won his second scoring title in three years, became the first player since Oscar Robertson 55 years earlier to average a triple-double, and took home NBA MVP honors.
Westbrook then averaged a triple-double in three of the next four seasons, giving him four such campaigns, while every other player in history has combined for three.
Along the way during that magical 2016-17 season, Westbrook offered no illusions of being on friendly terms with Durant. Westbrook was never going to play nice for the cameras or the sake of someone else's reputation. In his world, he had his family, his teammates, and his fans; if you didn't fit under one of those umbrellas, he wasn't going to exchange fake pleasantries.
In an era when even rivals are cordial before and after on-court clashes, Westbrook never seemed interested in such interactions. One of my most memorable observations of Westbrook was how visibly annoyed he appeared by the commotion around Steph Curry during the 2016 All-Star festivities.
Later that weekend, Westbrook won All-Star MVP for the second straight year. Of course, Curry's Warriors would famously defeat Westbrook's (and Durant's) Thunder in the 2016 postseason. Westbrook never won another playoff series as a starter, while Curry, Durant, and many other of his superstar peers and rivals stacked championships.
Whether you chalk that up to luck, Westbrook's own limitations, or his stubbornness depends on how favorably you view the future Hall of Famer. But it is part of his polarizing on-court legacy, as is the fact that he ranks 14th in all-time shot attempts and 31st in 3-point attempts despite posting below-average shooting efficiency in 13 of his 18 seasons and boasting a career 3-point percentage of 30.8%. Was he audacious or irresponsible?
Of course, Westbrook's legacy also includes career averages of nearly 21 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, and two steals per game. It features an MVP award, two scoring titles, three assist titles, nine All-Star appearances, nine All-NBA selections, and a spot on the league's 75th anniversary team. Westbrook ranks fifth all time in assists, 14th in points, 14th in steals, and at 6-foot-4, he's the shortest player to rank among the league's top-60 all-time rebounders.
Whether you believe he channeled his efforts optimally or not, no one can deny that Westbrook left every ounce of himself on the court every time he stepped between the lines. That's a legacy any athlete can be proud of and every fan should appreciate.
Westbrook made no apologies for the type of player he was over the course of his legendary career. Don't expect him to in retirement. He did things his way until the end. It's what made Russ Russ. Even those rolling their eyes will likely come to admire it at some point.
Joseph Casciaro is theScore's lead NBA reporter.
