Russell Westbrook Retires As The NBA As Triple-Double King

I react in real time to Russell Westbrook retiring and try to put words to why it feels so sudden. I celebrate the résumé, the chaos, and the heart while asking what it was actually like to watch a player who never did anything quietly.  

• My unfiltered reaction to the retirement news and why it caught me off guard  
• Why Westbrook’s legacy goes beyond numbers and shooting splits  
• The accolades that define a Hall of Fame career  
• UCLA background and how his early game hints at the monster later  
• OKC Thunder years with KD and the Harden what-if  
• 2012 Finals performance and what gets blamed unfairly  
• Triple-double history, the 20-20-20 game, and unbreakable records  
• The flaws, the late-career stops, and why effort stays the headline  
• What I hope Westbrook does next and why the game will miss him  

Please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who’s anyone.  

Transcript

Retirement News And Housekeeping

SPEAKER_00 0:01

What's up, everybody? It's your favorite show's favorite show, get a bucket. I'm your host, Trey, as usual. Hope you're all having a wonderful, wonderful day. Today we're going to talk about Russell Westbrook retiring. But before we do that, please make sure to hit that like and subscribe button. Comment to anyone who's anyone about the show. Try to get the ratings up a little bit, you know. Just a little bit. And if you wonder what I heard this before, that's how you've been listening with me Monday through Friday at 11 a.m. Eastern Standard Time. So I greatly appreciate your support. Now, normally, ladies and gentlemen, I like to do a little prep work, right? I can make sure I've done my due diligence. Try to structure a little bit how the show goes. You know, method to the madness. And I gotta say, when I saw Russell Westbrook's retirement announcement come up yesterday, it kind of caught me off guard. So I want to kind of give y'all my unfiltered thoughts, right? Like don't get me wrong, I've done a little due diligence for this still, but this one kind of caught me off guard because he's still relatively young, still relatively productive in the NBA. So it was it was very surprising that Russell Westbrook retired. And keep in mind, too, right? There are players

Why Westbrook’s Numbers Miss The Point

SPEAKER_00 1:05

who whose careers can be explained by numbers. And then there are players where the numbers somehow don't quite captivate what you watched. Russell Westbrook was really one of those type of players, all right? Like August, August 12th, 2026. I did not expect to say Russell Westbrook was going to retire. Like he's played 18 seasons, which is crazy to think about, right? 18 seasons in the league. I that went by like fast. And he was the MVP, nine-time All-Star, nine-time all-NBA selection as well, too. Two-time scoring chant, by the way, three-time assist leader, a member of the NBA's 75th anniversary team. And he's, of course, the NBA's all-time leader in triple doubles. And I actually wonder if that record will ever be broken. Don't even wrong, Joke is averaging triple doubles as well, too. So I hear it, right? Maybe that, maybe that's the man that does it. But right now, point in time, he retires as the all-time leader in triple doubles, Mr. Triple Double himself. When we think about Russell Westbrook, yeah, there were some gripes. But not focusing on the gripes. This is a player who was ferocious, right? Arguably the most athletic point guard that we've seen in the history. It's a point guard who grabbed the most rebounds in NBA history for guards. Again, ladies and gentlemen, this was 18 seasons that we're talking about. We've seen Russell Westbrook in a bevy of scenarios. When we saw him in the NBA Finals, he delivered. Like, we can't put that loss that the Thunder had against the Heat on Russell Westbrook. And keep in mind, people try to go at his decision making and turn high turnovers. Hear it. In the grand scheme of life, though, like in the big moments of the NBA's games, I cannot put Russell Westbrook as the reason why the Thunder lost. So it it pains me to say that he did not get

UCLA Years And Draft Rise

SPEAKER_00 3:10

a championship during his tenure because a great player for sure. And the game will truly miss him. Like at UCLA, ladies and gentlemen, that's where he attended college. He was, he was, he was he was at UCLA hooping. And we got to remember, ladies and gentlemen, he he wasn't this, well, he was a diaper dandy because he was an all-American, right? But we got to remember, he spent two seasons at UCLA. Now, granted, this was around the time that young players were still spending multiple seasons in college. But again, he could have been one of those players to leave early. We saw Kevin Love do it. Saw O.J. Mayo do it. We saw a few players do it. Spending two years in college back then wasn't bad either. Matter of fact, during his sophomore year, I think he averaged 13 points, four rebounds, four assists. And he was a two-way player because he had 63 steals that season, which earned him his Pac-10, defensive player of the year, I think it was Pac-10 back in the day. So it was, it was, it was, it was it was pretty crazy. Like he had Kevin Love, Darren Collison, Luke Ricard, or Mbaya Mute. Oh, and Aaron Deflalo, too. Like he's he's played alongside some good players, and he did eventually stand out as well, too. So again, ladies and gentlemen, if you look at his complete college career, it might not be indicative of what Russell Westbrook was. But keep in mind, Russell Westbrook eventually got drafted fourth overall in that 2008 draft and went to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Like I said, he paired well with KD. Yeah, they had some tiffs, they

OKC Thunder Peak And The What-If

SPEAKER_00 4:45

had some taps, you know what I'm saying? But the Thunder years, those were monstrous. Like when I look at the Thunder, they were the young team that came up and delivered. Well, almost delivered, but they consistently, consistently produced, battling against teams like the Clippers and the Spurs. The Spurs back in the day, during the time period where they were actually really dominant. Thunder were giving them fits. They were causing my Lakers some problems. Like the Thunder really were the team that we look back on and say, what if? What if they kept James Harden and Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant for the long haul? Could they eventually have won a title? Hell, would we be seeing SGA and them nowadays hoop the way they did, or they the way they do? Would we be giving them the same amount of praise? Because if all three of those players played together, don't get me wrong, they might not have all won MVP. But they might have all had some championships for sure. Kevin Durant wouldn't be the only person, player, to have a championship out of that trio. I think eventually they would have done it. And we got to remember, too, this was a young team. We're talking about Russ, KD, James Harden, Serge Abaca, who aged pretty well over time, right? Again, four all-stars right there off the break. And we got to consider back then they were young. Like Russ was 23, KD was 23, Harden was 22, Miami at the time was balling, but again, OKC was on the come-up. We saw what OKC could do against Miami. They lost 4-1 in them 2012 NBA finals. But again, ladies and gentlemen, that's not on Russell Westbrook. Russ averaged about 27 points, six rebounds, seven assists, and a steal. He played more than 42 minutes. Now, you know, shooting from the field could have been a little bit better, right? I think he gave 43% from the field. 14% from three ain't really cutting it. That is ugly. I can't lie to y'all. But Russ has never really been the three-point shooter until he went to like the Clippers. But that was during his later years. His athleticism really got the job done. He was able to attack. That mid-range was dumb stupid. Him being able to stop on a dime, pull up, and hit that midi was crazy work. And also he was a good free throw shooter at 82%. So that lets you know he might not be the best shooter, but in clutch moments, well, he knows we got he got that dog in him and shooting 82% for the free throw line. I gotta assume Buddy can knock down a free throw shot in closing games. It's not like fatigue is gonna hit him as much because he's a freak of nature athlete, too. So again, ladies and gentlemen,

Finals Performance And Shooting Reality

SPEAKER_00 7:25

Russell Westbrook is easily gonna go down as one of the best players that we've seen. Especially if we talk about since he entered the league. But also ever, ever, like the big O gets credited for averaging a triple-double in his season or during his career. Russ got three. He had three. His last season, ladies and gentlemen, he was averaging 15, 16 points with like five, six rebounds and five, six assists. That's nothing to scoff at at all. That's not like a lot of players would love to have those stats right now point in time. And again, the numbers, they don't really look real. And again, numbers don't always define what a player's career really was like. Like, he averaged. All right, so I remember, I remember buddy, and this this I hated this because it was against my Lakers too. This man had a 20-20-20 game. Like 20 points, 20 rebounds, and 21 assists. Against my Lakers at the time, only Wilt Chamberlain had recorded a 20 point, 20 rebound, 20 assist game in the NBA's history. And mind you, Russell Westbrook dedicated that game, that performance, to Nipsey Hustle, who had actually just died days earlier. Because both of them were from LA. So the 2020-20, like, that is ridiculous. His numbers, like, he his numbers are insane. 11 consecutive triple doubles. That is wild. And he still owns a 42 triple-double single season record. That means only him, he's only been the only player to have 42 triple doubles in a season. That's ridiculous. That is crazy. Finishing his career with 27,000 points, 10,351, yeah, 51 assists. And really it's 27,176 points, 10,351 assists, ranks 14th in scoring and fifth in assists at the time of his retirement. He and LeBron James, as a matter of fact, are the only players to surpass both 25,000 points and 10,000 assists. People

Records, Triple Doubles, 20-20-20

SPEAKER_00 9:50

will remember the rebounding, his athleticism, the triple-doubles. Russ, while you can question the decision making sometimes, we still got to acknowledge him as one of the best passers that the game has seen. And again, we've we've seen him go up against quite a few players. And a lot of players might even be talked about higher than Russell Westbrook, right? Like we've seen him go up against KD, James Harden, Paul George, Mello, right? Bradley Beal, LeBron James, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, even Nicole Jokic, Steph Curry, Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan, Dirk Nowitzki, Hal Gasall, you know what I'm saying? Chris Paul, D. Wade, Damian Lillard, Giannis, Luca. Did I mention Kevin Durant again? Like, that's a lot, that's encompassing a lot of players, ladies and gentlemen. Hell they even battle against Kevin Love, who he played with in college. Just saying, like. When we talk about Russell Westbrook, his legacy has got to be something that's positive. Again, we're gonna remember the tone arrows. We're gonna remember the shot selection. We're gonna remember Russell Westbrook battling against Kevin Durant and feeling like he's the best player on the team. Sometimes he looked like it. Even though if you knew and understand basketball, you understand that Kevin Durant's still the best player. But again, sometimes Russell Westbrook looks like it. There was a point in time where I said Russell Westbrook could arguably be the GOAT, especially if he starts winning based on his performance, his production, the energy that he gives. He's a two-way player. He cares about it. He has that dog in him. Some aspects of him you see in Jordan, you see in Kobe. His legacy, again, you gotta appreciate. Now he's had some, he's had some moments, like the inefficient three-point shooting, the playoff disappointments post-Kevin Durant's departure, which could be explained because of Kevin Durant's departure, the difficult Lakers years, which again, I don't blame that on him. I look more at Braun than them because, again, they they brought Russ in, wanting him to be the playmaker, but then didn't want to really give him the reins to mess up. Because that's what Russ was gonna do at times. But Russ was also gonna make it up in energy as well, too. So I can't quite blame that on him. But I'm happy that he was able to play well with teams like the Nuggets. Teams like the Rockets, because remember, during and even the Clippers during the Rockets tenure, remember, that was the COVID season. Before the season ended or abruptly ended, he was hooping. He was starting to catch stride. Then on the Clippers and the Nuggets, he started shooting a little bit better off ball, still giving you the energy that you needed, playing good defense. I liked Russ during those moments. I hated it for Russ when he was on my Lakers. Because again, his legacy was being impacted, and kind of unfairly, if I mean that. So, end of day, like what does Russell Westbrook actually leave behind?

Flaws, Late-Career Stops, Final Salute

SPEAKER_00 12:51

A little bit of sadness, because again, when I heard the news that he was retiring, I ain't gonna lie to y'all, ladies and gentlemen, I did get a little emotional. It was sad because it caught me off guard, but he's only 37 and is still moving them puppies. No, Russ was not perfect. That's almost the point, though. One, nobody's perfect. But his game had flaws, and he never hid them. Never hid them. He missed loudly. He lost loudly. He was a completely loudly person. Like there was nothing very subtle about Russell Westbrook. I'm gonna miss his, even his clothing, right? Like he was very flamboyant with his clothing. And I kind of missed that. You'll I don't get me wrong, I'm sure I'll still, I'm sure we'll see more of it, especially now that he's not wearing a jersey. But still, missing Russell Westbrook is something that we're going to do. Like every single night, he gave us effort. Every single night. And not every player does that, ladies and gentlemen. Again, nine-time All-Star, nine-time all-NBA selection, two-time scoring title, three times assist title, an MVP, a gold medalist, NBA 75 team, and finishing his career with 27,000 points, 27,176 points, 10,351 assists, 209 triple doubles, four seasons averaging a triple-double, and one career that might be impossible to replicate. So again, we're going to like if you if you look up Russell Westbrook on Sports Reference or ESBN or anywhere, you're going to see 32 points, 11 rebounds, and 10 assists. You're going to see 42 triple doubles in the season. You're going to see 209 for a career. You're going to see the 2020-21 game. You're going to see 43 points in the NBA Finals at the age of 23. And they're going to ask, what was it actually like watching this guy called Russell Westbrook? People are going to wonder who's the most athletic point guard the game has ever seen. And they're going to be told about Russell Westbrook. They're going to be told about the ferocity that came out of Russell Westbrook, night in and night out. They're going to talk about the hustle that he gave. They're going to talk about the chip on his shoulder that he had. They're going to talk about the ultimate warrior and player that was Russell Westbrook. So again, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, as somebody who played 18 seasons, and as somebody who watched Russell Westbrook play those 18 seasons, I got to say again, it was sad to see him go. But I hope that he has a wonderful rest of his life. Thank you, Russell Westbrook, for playing the game of basketball the way you did. The game will truly miss you. You were a real one. I hated the fact that you became a journeyman as time went on, but that's how basketball goes sometimes. Can't call you a ring chaser. I can call you a trendsetter. I can call you a loyal guy. I can call you a hard worker. Russell Westbrook, I appreciate you. We will miss you, and I hope that you have a good one. But ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, I'm curious, what are your thoughts of Russell Westbrook? What was your most impressive moment of Russell Westbrook? I don't want to bring up gripes. I want to have positivity on this episode. So only speak of positive thoughts for sure. You can give context, but let's be positive about Russell Westbrook because this was a truly unique and unique individual. Because off the court, too, the man is very special. The man does a lot for his community. He's praised quite often. So I love, I can't wait to see what he does within his community, within the world, his impact towards the world. I'm looking forward to Russell Westbrook's next chapter. But I want to hear y'all's thoughts. So, ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, that does conclude the end of the episode. So please make sure to like, subscribe, comment, tell anyone who's anyone. One about Russell Westbrook, and two about my show. My name is Trey. I'm the host of Get a Bucket. I hope you are all having a good one. Russell Westbrook, take care.