Sudden retirement! After an 18-year career, Westbrook created one of the 10 worst trades in NBA history.

It's hard to tell whether this is a diss or a compliment. Former NBA player Olden Polynice, who averaged 7.8 points per game, stated on "Sirius XM NBA Radio": "I love LeBron. I consider him one of the all-time greats, and we've never seen anyone do what he's done. But my criticism is that he should have been the one to average a triple-double before Westbrook."

"Because LeBron is so strong and the most talented player we've seen in a long time, but Westbrook achieved the triple-double average before him. That's where I judge LeBron — I think he didn't play up to his potential in his career."

In the NBA's all-time triple-doubles list, Westbrook ranks first with 209. The second through tenth places are: Jokic with 198, Oscar Robertson with 181, Magic Johnson with 138, James with 125, Kidd with 107, Doncic with 90, Harden with 82, Chamberlain with 78, and Domantas Sabonis with 68.

Barring surprises, Jokic will soon surpass Westbrook to become the all-time triple-double leader, and he is very likely to push that record to 300 games.

James ranks fifth on the all-time regular-season triple-double list. In the all-time playoff triple-double standings, Magic Johnson leads with 30, James is second with 28, Jokic third with 21, and Westbrook fourth with 12.

Westbrook officially announced his retirement on August 13, 2026, ending his 18-year NBA career. The Thunder will almost certainly retire his No. 0 jersey. Westbrook gave his best 12 years to the Thunder, leading them to the Finals, setting the single-season record of 42 triple-doubles, and winning the MVP. He is the soul of Thunder franchise history.

Before announcing his retirement, Westbrook was unable to sign a one-day contract with the Thunder to retire as a Thunder player, which disappointed many fans. However, he turned down lowball contracts from the Kings and Wizards and proactively chose to end his career. He refused to accept a role as a backup mentor or third-string point guard, preferring to retire with dignity rather than lower his standards on the court.

Last season, Westbrook played for the Kings, averaging 15.2 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 6.7 assists, proving he still had some fuel left. Throughout his career, he played for seven teams: Thunder, Rockets, Wizards, Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets, and Kings.

Westbrook has a resume full of achievements. Along with James, Curry, Durant, and Harden, he is a 100% lock for the Hall of Fame.

Recently, NBA reporter Fran Leiva ranked the 10 worst trades in NBA history, placing Westbrook's move to the Lakers at No. 2. (The 2022 Harden-for-Simmons trade was ranked No. 1.)

Lakers received: Westbrook, two second-round picks

Wizards received: Kuzma, KCP, Harrell, the 2021 first-round pick (No. 22), and other assets in a five-team trade.

The journalist analyzed: Less than a year after winning the championship in 2020, the Lakers' front office dismantled the successful core built around LeBron and AD. KCP was a top 3-and-D player, and Kuzma was willing to accept his role. The Lakers packaged them together with Harrell and the No. 22 pick to acquire Westbrook.

At that time, Westbrook had just posted a triple-double season averaging 22.2 points, 11.5 rebounds, and 11.7 assists with the Wizards, so it's understandable why the Lakers pursued a star. But the fit issues were already a huge red flag: only a year earlier, his compatibility problems had been exposed during the Rockets' bubble playoffs. The risk of this trade should have been obvious.

Reality was even worse than expected. Westbrook still managed 18.5 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 7.1 assists, but the Lakers went 33-49 in the regular season, finishing 11th in the West and missing even the play-in. Their offensive rating was 22nd, defensive rating 21st. The Lakers gave up a first-round pick to acquire Westbrook, and less than two years later, they had to attach another first-round pick just to trade him away.

This Westbrook trade is truly a pain point for many fans. If the Lakers' front office hadn't acted hastily and had brought in DeRozan instead of Westbrook, LeBron would have had a good chance to add another ring.

Anyway, it's all in the past. It wasn't Westbrook's fault; he just wanted to play good basketball but wasn't a fit with the Lakers at the time.

Best wishes to Westbrook — enjoy your retirement life.