Russell Westbrook Retires After 18 Seasons as the NBA's All-Time Triple-Double Leader

Russell Westbrook announced his retirement on August 12 after 18 NBA seasons, sharing the decision in a social media post featuring a video narrated by the actor Michael B. Jordan, per NBA.com.

The career line, per NBA.com: 1,301 games, 20.9 points, 6.9 rebounds and 8.0 assists a night, across Oklahoma City, Houston, Washington, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, Denver and Sacramento.

The record that defines him is the triple-double. He finishes as the NBA's all-time leader with 209, and he is one of two players in league history, with LeBron James, to reach both 25,000 points and 10,000 assists. He sits 14th on the career scoring list with 27,176 points and fifth in assists with 10,351.

The rest of the case, per the same reporting: the 2017 MVP award, nine All-NBA selections spread across two first teams, five second teams and two third teams, two All-Star Game MVPs, two scoring titles, three seasons leading the league in assists, and a place on the NBA's 75th anniversary team.

This desk reports what the record says and leaves the ranking arguments to others. The Hall of Fame vote comes when he becomes eligible; the numbers above are what the ballot will carry.