After years of battling, a longtime rival of the Golden State Warriors is hanging them up after a legendary 18-year career in the association. Point guard Russell Westbrook recently announced he was retiring from the NBA after 18-years.
After getting drafted out of UCLA in 2008, Westbrook spent 11 years with the Oklahoma City Thunder, making eight appearances in the NBA All-Star Game along with being named the 2015-16 NBA MVP. Alongside Kevin Durant and James Harden, Westbrook, at only 23-years-old, helped lead the Thunder to the NBA Finals against the Miami Heat. Westbrook also led the league in scoring twice, along with leading the league in assists three different times.
Following his decorated run with the Thunder, Westbrook went on to play for the Houston Rockets, Washington Wizards, Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings.
Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end.
— Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) August 12, 2026
You had to be there. And now it’s over. pic.twitter.com/6YoOW8WyIV
During each of his stops, Westbrook always appeared to put on a show against the Warriors. Westbrook played the Warriors 56 times in the regular season in his career, recording a 30-26 record against Golden State. Westbrook averaged 20.3 points, 7.6 assists and 7.1 rebounds in 56 games against the Warriors.
Westbrook and the Warriors only met once in the postseason, in the legendary 2016 Western Conference Finals. Westbrook averaged 26.7 points and 11.3 assists in that seven-game series. During the series, Westbrook notched a 36-point triple-double with 11 rebounds and 11 assists to give the Thunder a 3-1 lead over the 73-win Warriors. Westbrook notched eight triple-doubles against the Warriors in his career. Four with the Thunder, two with the Wizards, one with the Nuggets, and even one with the Kings last season.
Westbrook scored 30 or more points 14 different times against the Warriors, including a 47-point effort in a loss to the Warriors in 2017. Westbrook's 47 points came in a fiery battle that marked the first return to Oklahoma City for Durant, who left the Thunder for the Warriors during the summer of 2017. In front of a highly emotional crowd, Westbrook and Durant traded buckets.
On the day before Thanksgiving in 2017, things between Durant and Westbrook heated up again as both were assessed technical fouls after trading words and meeting forehead to forehead. Behind 34 points from Westbrook, the Thunder dealt the Warriors an upset loss, 108-91. Westbrook recorded four technical fouls and one flagrant foul in his career against the Warriors.
In 2018 alongside Paul George, Westbrook caught fire against the Warriors again, scoring 44 points while grabbing 16 boards in 41 minutes. In 2019, as a member of the Rockets, Westbrook tallied 30 points and 12 rebounds against the Warriors on Christmas Day. His final 30-point effort against the Warriors.
Westbrook's final game against the Warriors came in Jan. 2026. While the Warriors cruised to a blowout win, Westbrook notched 13 points, seven assists and four rebounds in 28 minutes for the Kings.
As fun as it can be to cheer on your favorite team, it can be just as enjoyable to battle and root against one of your biggest rivals. Rivalries are part of what makes sports special, and Westbrook’s always entertaining encounters with the Warriors certainly felt that way. Because of the energy and intensity he brought to every matchup, Westbrook’s games against the Warriors—even late in his career—were, and always will be, must-watch.
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This article originally appeared on Warriors Wire: Longtime Golden State rival retires after legendary 18-year career