Russell Westbrook (Thunder) in front. Behind him are Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Stephen Curry for their respective teams.
Russell Westbrook (Thunder) in front. Behind him are Kobe Bryant, Michael Jordan, Larry Bird, Stephen Curry for their respective teams.
Russell Westbrook played 18 seasons in the NBA. His career was one of the most polarizing ever. His resume, statistics, basketball impact, and longevity prove that he is one of the greatest players in NBA history. However, he has had his fair share of critics, too, and there are undeniable flaws with his skill set.
That makes ranking the all-time great point guard a tough task, and there could be a great disparity in where he is ranked depending on who you ask. With Westbrook's career officially over after he announced his retirement, the debate needs to be settled for good. So, where does Westbrook rank amongst the greatest players in NBA history?
Where does Russell Westbrook rank all-time?
Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) looks on during the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves at Target Center.
Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports
Westbrook's polarizing nature is evident when looking at all-time rankings. ClutchPoints has him ranked 35th all-time, and his E-rank pegs him as the 38th best player ever. Bleacher Report, Yardbarker.com, and The Athletic rank the UCLA product 48th, 31st, and 46th, respectively.
The hooper nicknamed Brodie has a resume filled with impressive accolades. He made nine All-Star games, taking home MVP honors twice in such showcases. He won the regular season MVP in 2017, too. Furthermore, Westbrook was twice an All-NBA First-Team member; he thrice led the NBA in assists, and he has two scoring titles to his name.
More so than the accolades, though, Westbrook has the numbers to represent a special career. He is the all-time leader in triple-doubles (209) and ranks 14th in career scoring (27,176). The former of those statistics was the specialty for the long-time Oklahoma City Thunder star. Westbrook stuffed the stat sheet, as he could score with ease. He also always got his teammates involved and was elite for his position as a rebounder. His constant motor allowed him to thrive defensively, too.
Some of Westbrook's best performances included a 20-20-20 game and the highest-scoring triple-double in postseason history (51 points, 10 rebounds, 13 assists). These video game-like displays will last the test of time and display just how dominant Brodie was at his peak with the Thunder. Even after departing Oklahoma City, though, Westbrook found varying levels of success with each of the next six teams he played for.
He was still an All-Star with the Houston Rockets; he averaged a triple-double for the fourth time with the Washington Wizards, and while the fit with the Los Angeles Lakers wasn't clean, he still gave his all on a nightly basis. After that, Westbrook had a resurgence with the Los Angeles Clippers; he thrived off the bench on the Denver Nuggets, and he exceeded all expectations this past season with the Sacramento Kings.
The career-long success is evident, but Westbrook's game was far from perfect, and he has plenty of haters. Any distain tends to come from an idea that he isn't a winner, which is justified by the fact that the point guard never won a championship. There are those out there who say Westbrook has chased big numbers even when it isn't for the betterment of his team. His aggressive and explosive playstyle has led to a lot of lowlights throughout his career, too. Notably, horrendous misses on jump shots became a staple of Westbrook's game.
He didn't play with supreme efficiency, and his ball dominant style prevented him from being a fit on a lot of teams later on in his career. With all of that acknowledged, though, the resume speaks for itself. The top-25 all-time is surely out of the picture for the recently retired star, but he should be ranked higher than some other stars of this generation, such as Anthony Davis, Damian Lillard, and Kyrie Irving. Other all-time great point guards who are oftentimes ranked above Westbrook, such as Steve Nash and Jason Kidd, also shouldn't rank above Westbrook; the numbers simply don't compare.
When it comes to the point guard position, though, Chris Paul, Oscar Robertson, Isiah Thomas, Magic Johnson, and Stephen Curry all had superior careers. Because of that, the mid-30s seems like the right spot to place Westbrook on an all-time list. Regardless, Westbrook will be missed, and his retirement will prove that the NBA was better with him in it.