Westbrook's 0 will shine forever in the Oklahoma sky
There are players who transcend history, and one of them is Russell Westbrook . His game can be debated, whether he was ever a player capable of making a team champion (he did reach the Finals, in 2012), or whether he often played to pad his statistics. But no one can doubt the impact this point guard had on the teams he played for , especially the Thunder , who on February 7 will pay him the highest tribute possible.
Oklahoma announced it this Tuesday: on that day, coinciding with the visit of the champion Knicks , his jersey with the unmistakable number 0 will go straight up to the rafters of the Paycom Center to stand there as the second retired number in the franchise since it moved from Seattle, after the 4 of Nick Collison.
Days after that relocation, Russell Westbrook was selected with the No. 4 pick in the Draft, the team's first pick as the Thunder . He played 11 of the 18 seasons he has spent in the NBA there. Alongside Kevin Durant , who had been there a year earlier when they were still playing in Seattle , James Harden , who arrived in 2009, and Serge Ibaka , selected in the same Draft as the point guard, they managed to reach the 2012 Finals, losing to the Miami Heat, 4-1.
Durant's departure in 2016 only served to enhance Westbrook 's stature, and the following year he became the first player to average a triple-double for the season (31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists) since Oscar Robertson in 1962 , and he was named MVP . Then, Westbrook added to the feat with another two more triple-double seasons , the last with the Thunder .
After Oklahoma , in Westbrook 's career, there were the Houston Rockets, the Washington Wizards, the Los Angeles Lakers, the Los Angeles Clippers, the Denver Nuggets and the Sacramento Kings , until his retirement at the end of last season.
Sam Presti, executive vice president and general manager of the Thunder, was responsible for announcing the ceremony: " Many players make an impact, but only great players leave a legacy . Russell Westbrook's legacy was built both on the court and in the community," Presti said in a statement. " His mindset was relentless and his commitment, profound. For all these reasons, the people of Oklahoma consider him one of their own, and his number will be raised to the rafters in Oklahoma City forever ".
