In the latest twist of their Batman-Joker dynamic, Patrick Beverley went to bat for Russell Westbrook. The two have been linked together since their 2013 NBA playoff matchup. Over a dozen years later, their relationship has matured from pure hatred to mutual respect.
Westbrook called it a career. He announced his NBA retirement on Aug. 12. The future Hall-of-Famer played 18 seasons and is most known for his time on the Oklahoma City Thunder. That's where he spent his first 11 seasons. In that time, he turned into an NBA superstar who co-starred on a title contender.
In his legendary career, Westbrook was a one-time MVP winner, nine-time All-Star and nine-time All-NBA member. He completely redefined the triple-double as he averaged the mark four
times in a five-year span. He also has two scoring titles and three assist titles on his resume. Throw in several deep NBA playoff runs with OKC, and he's one of the defining stars of the 2010s.
All that said, Beverley recently commented on Westbrook's retirement on his podcast. He had a bone to pick. Instead of going with the consensus that has celebrated his iconic career, the former NBA starter called out the league's politics as the reason why he's not playing for a 19th season. He believes he still has gas left in the tank.
“I think the media is so strong that it allowed fans to call him names. It allowed fans to have opinions about his game, which also forced team owners, GMs and presidents to look at him a certain way," Beverley said. "When you talk about guards that’s in the NBA — and it’s no disrespect to guys that’s on current teams. But when you talk about you see Lonnie Walker — and it’s no disrespect to Lonnie Walker. He’s a good friend of mine — but if he can make an NBA team, Russell Westbrook can make an NBA team without a doubt."
That's an interesting theory to have. Beverley isn't the first NBA figure to say Westbrook's harsh reputation was unwarranted. Draymond Green recently said he's not a fan of how inauthentic the love has been since he announced his retirement. Sure, his playstyle was a little erratic and detrimental, but that never really influenced his strong leadership style in the locker room with his teammates over the years.
All that said, I don't think you can soundly say the NBA pushed Westbrook out of the league. Rather, it feels like he stepped away from the game than accepted the veteran leadership role thrown his way. Both the Washington Wizards and Sacramento Kings reportedly offered him one-year deals. But without the promise of consistent playing time. Instead, the 37-year-old just called it a career.
Also, another layer that makes Beverley's comments interesting is their storied history. Everybody knows about the time he ran into Westbrook's knee in the NBA playoffs. That caused him to sustain a season-ending torn meniscus and years of knee problems in the aftermath. Each time they matched up, Westbrook and the Thunder were out for blood.
But it seems like Westbrook's and Beverley's shared time on the Los Angeles Lakers during the 2022-23 season healed that wound. To that point that they're at least friendlier with each other. I think the latter's comments about the former's retirement and how he's vouched for him to keep playing are an example of that.
Patrick Beverley says the media killed Russell Westbrook’s game:
— NBA Courtside (@NBA__Courtside) August 18, 2026
“I think the media is so strong that it allowed fans to call him names. It allowed fans to have opinions about his game, which also forced team owners, GMs, presidents to look at him a certain way. When you talk… pic.twitter.com/AwyOGib0qF
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Patrick Beverley believes Russell Westbrook should still be in NBA
