Russell Westbrook retires after 18 NBA seasons

Russell Westbrook appeared to hint at his impending retirement weeks before making it official, according to a resurfaced clip from his "Why Not Foundation" basketball camp. At the end of July, the foundation held its annual two-day camp for kids ages 7-14 at Jesse Owens Park and Loma Alta Park, with free admission for campers.

During the camp, a young camper asked Westbrook, "Are you a real NBA player?" Westbrook responded, "Some days. I used to be back in the day -- back in my young days." The foundation posted a montage of the miked-up Westbrook on social media, and the clip caught the attention of many fans.

Westbrook announced his retirement last Tuesday after 18 seasons in a social media post featuring a video narrated by Oscar-winning actor Michael B. Jordan. "Sometimes you don't even know when you've already watched the end," Westbrook wrote. "You had to be there. And now it's over."

Westbrook, 37, a Long Beach, California, native, was selected in the 2008 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics, who became the Oklahoma City Thunder shortly after a 2006 sale to an Oklahoma City ownership group. He was part of the inaugural Thunder squad and spent 11 seasons there, most notably earning MVP honors in the 2016-17 season after averaging a triple-double, before being included in a 2019 trade to the Houston Rockets.

Westbrook also had stints with the Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Denver Nuggets and most recently the Sacramento Kings. A nine-time All-Star, he finished his career averaging 20.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 8 assists per game.