Russell Westbrook retired today with the most triple-doubles in NBA history. The name written on his wrist for all 18 seasons belongs to the kid UCLA actually wanted. That kid died at 16, and Westbrook spent two decades playing for both of them.
Westbrook was a 5'8", 140-pound freshman that no college recruited. The call UCLA's head coach made to his high school in 2004 was about Khelcey Barrs III, Westbrook's best friend from across the street in Hawthorne. A 6'6" phenom pulling scholarship offers as a sophomore. The two had a pact to play at UCLA together, then the NBA.
In May 2004, during a pickup game at LA Southwest College, Barrs collapsed on the court. An undiagnosed enlarged heart.
Westbrook walked across the street every morning after that to do his friend's chores at his grandmother's house. Then he grew 7 inches, averaged 25 a game as a junior, and took the UCLA offer they were supposed to accept together. From that point on he played like a man carrying two careers.
The numbers he put up look like typos.
209 triple-doubles is the most in NBA history, and it took breaking Oscar Robertson's record that stood for 47 years. In 2017 he averaged a triple-double across an entire season, something no human had done since 1962, then did it three more times. 27,176 points, 14th all time. 10,351 assists, 5th all time, behind only Stockton, CP3, Kidd, and LeBron. He did all of it at 6'3" in a league of giants, and outlasted the franchise that drafted him. Seattle picked him 4th in 2008 and stopped existing before he played a game.
And in every one of his 1,301 games, he wore two wristbands. One said KB3. The other said "Why not?"
People spent 18 years asking why he played every possession like the building was on fire. He was playing for two.
Russell Westbrook’s career:
18 seasons
1x NBA MVP
9x All-NBA
9x All-Star
3x Assist Champ
2x Scoring Champ
Top-5 all-time in AST
Top-15 all-time in PTS
Top-15 all-time in STL
NBA 75th Anniversary Team
Triple-double records:
- Most in NBA history (209)
- Most in a season in NBA history (42)
- Most consecutive games with a triple-double (11)
- Most seasons averaging a triple-double (4)
- Most PPG when averaging a triple-double (31.6)
- Most APG when averaging a triple double (11.7)
Maya Caldwell on the toughest guard to guard in the league
“Kelsey Mitchell”-Caldwell
“By far”-Nia Coffey
“I don’t feel like we give her enough flowers”-Caldwell
“No, she doesn’t, she doesn’t get enough recognition at all”-Coffey
“She’s like unguardable…”-Caldwel
🚨 EVERY GOAL PAYS IS BACK!
FanDuel is giving out Bonus Bets for every goal scored in the USA vs Bosnia game…
🎁 Claim: https://t.co/aGerbe47Ed
They’ve combined for 13 goals so far so I’m expecting a few tonight. 👀
21+ only.
Kobe Bryant puts on a clinic, finishing with 38 points in a WCR1 Game 4 win against the Jazz! (2009)
38 PTS
6 REB
1 AST
2 STL
67% FG (16/24)
100% FT (5/5)
Kobe Bryant’s 12-Game Stretch in the 2010 Playoffs Was One of the Greatest Offensive Runs Ever.
From Game 6 of the First Round to Game 1 of the Finals, he put up averages of:
▸ 32.7 PTS
▸ 6.0 REBS
▸ 6.8 ASTS
▸ 51.3% FG
▸ 41.9% 3P
▸ 86.6% FT
▸ 61.7% TS
Lakers won 10 of their 12 games
"I can't believe God gave me a chance to be a Buckeye, because there's nothing like it."
Ohio State has put out a lot of amazing videos, but this is one of the greatest.
If you are a Buckeye fan these four minutes will give you chills.