Russell Westbrook announced his retirement from the NBA on August 12, 2026, after playing 18 seasons. However, before his career came to an untimely end, his reputation was already taking hits.

Westbrook's last season was still decent. He averaged 15.2 points per game, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists. According to former teammate Patrick Beverley, the player's gradual decline had to do with the media.

“I think the media is so strong that it allowed fans to call him names," Beverly said in a recent statement in a brand-new YouTube video on his channel, Pat Bev.

He reasoned that public opinion also influenced how Westbrook was viewed by others.

"It allowed fans to have opinions about his game, which also forced team owners, GMs, presidents to look at him a certain way," Beverly added further during Tuesday's episode of the Pat Bev Show.

Beverly also had praise for the former NBA player. He argued that he was one of the best guards in the game. He reasoned that if Lonnie Walker could make a team, Westbrook could do the same given his extensive experience.

Beverly is indeed correct in his reasoning. After Westbrook abruptly retired, reports suggested that the Sacramento Kings and the Washington Wizards were willing to take him on.

However, the veteran willingly chose to step away instead. Even in 2026, Russell Westbrook leads the league in triple-doubles with 209 to his name. He was No. 5 in career assists and No. 14 in scoring.

By no means are these numbers bad. In 2022, Westbrook lost his spot in the regular season despite having a 15.9-point average while playing for the Lakers.

According to Beverly, Westbrook was somehow the only player "taking punches". He was later traded mid-season in 2023. Now, he's retired for good.

The sudden exit of Russell Westbrook came with class

Russell Westbrook retired with class. On August 12, 2026, he uploaded a video on his personal Instagram page (@russwest144) with a simple caption.

"Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end. You had to be there. And now it’s over." The caption from Westbrook's post read.

In the video, he does not speak. Instead, actor Michael B. Jordan narrates the video titled 'The Museum of Unspoken Words'. The clip goes over Westbrook's career highlights, such as his 2017 MVP trophy, among others.

Overall, he said everything that needed to be said without uttering a word. Given his stats and career achievements, he will likely be inducted into the Hall of Fame.

Written by

Prit Chauhan

Edited by

Rudra Dubey