It's only a matter of when — not if — the Oklahoma City Thunder retire Russell Westbrook's No. 0 jersey. The future Hall-of-Famer called it a career on Aug.12. After 18 legendary seasons, he hung up his sneakers for good. The 37-year-old leaves the game as one of the brightest NBA superstars in the 2010s.
Westbrook enjoyed his best years on the Thunder — both individually and as a team. He spent his first 11 seasons in OKC. In that time, he became a one-time MVP winner, eight-time All-Star and eight-time All-NBA member. He also notched two scoring titles and three assist titles.
On top of all that, Westbrook revolutionized the triple-double. What was once a special statistical occurrence was numbed to an every-other-night thing. He averaged a triple-double four
times in a five-year span. Completely shattering its mythical nature.
Alongside Kevin Durant, Westbrook also co-starred on OKC's first title contender. The Thunder had one NBA Finals trip and four Western Conference Finals appearances in their eight years together. They were one of the more prominent title contenders in the 2010s.
We'll see if the Thunder decide to retire Westbrook's No. 0 this upcoming 2026-27 regular season. In this exercise, let's entertain the possibility by listing the five most attractive games to do so. This will be in chronological order:
Oct. 22: Nuggets at Thunder
This is the best-case scenario — barring logistics. Riding on the high of seeing everybody in the sports world commemorate Westbrook's career, the Thunder could strike while the iron is hot. Heck, Jalen Williams has parroted this take, too. OKC will host the Denver Nuggets for its home opener on Oct. 22. It'll be on ESPN. If it's possible, this should be the top priority date.
Not only will it hold a special meaning as the Thunder quickly retired Westbrook's number, but the Nuggets have a lot of ties to his epic career. Obviously, the NBA legend broke Robertson's triple-double record in OKC's win over Denver in Apr. 2017. He notched his 42nd triple-double of that regular season there — an NBA record. In epic fashion, too. He had a 50-point triple-double and knocked down the deep 3-point game-winner. Just storybook stuff in what's regarded as his best game ever.
There's also the fact that Westbrook played his last meaningful year on the Nuggets. He was their Sixth Man in their 2025 NBA playoff run. If you recall, he fed the ball to Aaron Gordon for his Game 1 game-winner. It was a little poetic that his playoff career ended in OKC. And with plenty of the same Denver players still there, both teams can celebrate in the pregame ceremony.
Dec. 31: Heat at Thunder
Giannis Antetokounmpo showed his love to Westbrook after his retirement. He's in his 2019 equivalent summer. The two-time MVP winner spent 13 seasons with the Milwaukee Bucks. Finally, he was dealt to the Miami Heat in one of the blockbuster deals this offseason. The writing was on the wall for a while now, but it doesn't make it sting any less for the small-market team to see their greatest player ever leave.
Sound familiar? A lot of parallels exist between Westbrook and Antetokounmpo. Both have had similar journeys from unknowns to basketball megastars. Also, New Year's Eve has been an OKC home game tradition over the years. The crowds are usually lively because of the holiday. Be a cool way to end the 2026 calendar year with his jersey retirement.
Jan. 13: Rockets at Thunder
This one will have all of the feelings. Thunder fans still despise Durant for his 2016 departure and his comments in the aftermath. But even the saltiest of the bunch have to admit how beautifully written his letter about Westbrook's retirement was. Even if things ended on a sour note, time heals all wounds. A decade later, they can proudly look back at their eight years together in OKC and how they put the small market on the NBA map.
Durant's sole visit to OKC should include Westbrook's jersey retirement. Let's not forget Steven Adams is also on the Rockets, too. He was one of Westbrook's favorite pick-and-roll partners. Also, you could make a sound argument that one of his final years at the peak of his powers happened in Houston during the 2019-20 season. It was the last time he was an All-NBA member.
A lot of sentimental ties between the Thunder, Rockets and Westbrook. You can picture an emotional pregame scene where Durant and Adams embrace their former teammate as the rafter gets unveiled. This is my personal favorite choice of the bunch.
Feb. 13: Sixers at Thunder
This one is for trolling purposes. The Sixers have leaped the Thunder from a pure entertainment perspective — at least in the NBA's eyes. Philadelphia is tied for the most national TV appearances at 34. OKC has the fifth-most at 30. This game will count towards that as it's on Amazon Prime.
Having LeBron James in the building as Westbrook gets his jersey retired is some soap opera stuff. While their rivalry wasn't as explicit as others in the NBA, there were definitely shades of it if you read between the lines. Especially with how things turned out in their time together on the Los Angeles Lakers. The tea leaves suggest that Westbrook was made a scapegoat for their shortcomings. Just a couple of years after James utilized his power to bring him along.
Apr. 9: Warriors at Thunder
Usually, the regular-season home finale has very little at stake. Especially for the Thunder over the last couple of years. By then, they usually have their seed wrapped up. Expect that to be the case again this year. They'll either be first or second in the West standings alongside the Spurs. Those two teams should flirt with 60 wins as regular-season machines.
The Thunder play a home back-to-back against the Warriors to conclude the home part of their regular season schedule. From Apr. 8-9. It'd be a nice sendoff gift for fans to see Westbrook get his jersey retired before the NBA playoffs start. Also, considering the rich history between him and Stephen Curry, there's a lot of sentiment involved in him being in the same building for the special occasion. Both were rivals in the 2010s, but in a healthy way.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: When should OKC Thunder retire Russell Westbrook's No. 0 jersey?
