Should OKC Thunder retire Russell Westbrook's No. 0 jersey?

This past Wednesday, we saw the end of one of the most legendary careers in recent memory. Russell Westbrook announced his retirement from the NBA. He leaves the game as one of the brightest era-defining superstars of the 2010s. Westbrook played in 18 NBA seasons from 2008-26. In that span, he turned into a polarizing NBA superstar where everybody had an extreme opinion about his playing style. You either absolutely loved how intense he played on the court. He was ride-or-die for his faithful. And if you were part of it, you felt like you were in a family. Or his inefficiency and critical mental mistakes absolutely stressed you out. To the point that every ill-advised shot attempt or careless turnover had your blood pressure spike to dangerous levels. For the Oklahoma City Thunder, they happily sat in the former's camp — tent up and everything. Westbrook enjoyed his best years on the Thunder. He spent his first 11 seasons in OKC. In that time, he ascended into a global celebrity — lifting the small market with him. NBA fans from across the world quickly learned Oklahoma's get-to-know-you facts. Something that wasn't feasible before their 2008 relocation. Alongside Kevin Durant, Westbrook co-starred on OKC's title contender. The Thunder were a constant main character in the 2010s. They had one NBA Finals trip and four Western Conference Finals appearances. Sure, they never sat on the NBA's golden throne, but a decade-long chase of it created core memories for the first generation of OKC fans. In that time, Westbrook stacked up his resume. He was a one-time MVP winner, nine-time All-Star and nine-time All-NBA member. He grabbed two scoring titles and three assist titles along the way. Most famously, he completely redefined the value of a triple-double. What was once a mythical achievement and basketball's version of hitting for the cycle turned into an every-other-night occurrence. On his epic vengeance tour following Durant's shocking departure, Westbrook broke a 55-year drought as the follow-up act to Oscar Robertson's legacy-defining accomplishment. He averaged a video-game-esque 30-point triple-double in the 2016-17 season en route to his sole MVP award. He then rattled off the triple-double average feat four times in a five-year span. As things stand right now, Westbrook comfortably sits atop OKC's franchise record for total points and assists. He also owns the all-time triple-double record. With the combination of a high winning rate, postseason success and marvelous individual stats/accolades, should the Thunder retire his No. 0 jersey? I mean, duh. This article could've been a lot shorter with just a one-word 'yes' response. Seldom do you see the sports world have a consensus opinion. The NBA invokes your competitive juices. But this rhetorical question is a no-brainer. Westbrook is one of the greatest players in OKC history. About everybody has him in their Mt. Rushmore of franchise faces — which is quite the feather in his cap, considering how stupidly rich the young franchise is with success at both the individual and team level. Westbrook helped put the Thunder on the NBA map. And when Durant left, he had every reason to do the same. Instead, he committed to being in OKC for over a decade. In that time, he steadied the ship amid rocky waters. Sure, the three solo Westbrook seasons following Durant's departure didn't yield playoff success, but he kept them competitive and relevant enough to segue them into their current golden era of hoops. Westbrook was OKC's first true NBA superstar. When he makes the Basketball Hall of Fame in three summers, most will fondly remember him for his time on the Thunder. Because of all that, his No. 0 should hang in the Paycom Center rafters sooner rather than later. This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Should OKC Thunder retire Russell Westbrook's No. 0 jersey?