When Russell Westbrook announced his NBA retirement this offseason, the entire basketball world celebrated the legendary 18-season career. Even with his polarizing style and glaring flaws, there's no denying that he was one of the era-defining NBA superstars of the 2010s.
When folks think of that era, Westbrook will be one of the first names mentioned. The one-time MVP winner was a perennial All-Star and All-NBA member. He completely shattered the mystique that surrounded the triple-double statistical achievement. And he co-starred in several title contenders and was annually deep in the NBA playoffs.
Of course, Westbrook spent his first 11 seasons with the Oklahoma City Thunder. That's where he enjoyed the peak of his powers. When he retired,
it didn't take long for folks to collectively agree that he should have his No. 0 jersey retired there. As well as getting a statue built.
NBA players across the globe — both former and present — celebrated Westbrook's Hall-of-Fame journey. Even if he acquired a unique taste to fully enjoy, the entire basketball world knew what he meant for a generation of hoopers and fans. You either absolutely loved him or absolutely hated him. Either way, his playstyle and personality invoked some sorta strong emotional response out of you.
Isaiah Hartenstein reflected on his brief time as teammates with Westbrook. He talked about it at the 2026-27 Thunder Media Day. With his future up in the air following their 2026 NBA playoff exit, OKC prioritized keeping the starting center on a three-year, $75 million contract extension.
Before Hartenstein established himself as an NBA champion starter, though, he was a career journeyman at the start of his career. He fought tooth and nail to reach this point. An early chapter of his long and rocky road to success? Being on the Houston Rockets with Westbrook in the 2019-20 season.
"For me, he was a great teammate. He was a person that it didn't matter if you were the No. 1 guy on the team or the last guy on the roster," Hartenstein said. "He always treated you the right way. He always treated you the same. I think that's something I always really appreciated when I got in the league. I think it was my second year, and I was trying to earn minutes, and he didn't look at me any different. If I had any questions, he was always there."
At that juncture, Westbrook and Hartenstein were on completely opposite sides of the depth chart. Westbrook was Houston's second All-Star alongside James Harden. Meanwhile, Hartenstein barely clung to a final roster spot. He spent his first two seasons on the Rockets, but seldom played before he moved on elsewhere.
That's now always the case with NBA superstars like that. Sometimes, they get ego-crazy and don't even acknowledge the third-stringers and beyond. But despite popular belief, Westbrook was always a grade-A teammate. Anytime anybody crossed paths with him, they always sang his praises for making sure everybody felt involved and included.
We've seen a bunch of other former All-Star players and NBA legends give Westbrook his flowers, but it's cool to see that the basketball pantheon also had a positive influence on the end-of-bench guys during his illustrious career.
"So just really appreciative, first of all, what he's done as a player," Hartenstein said. "But then, just for my career, what he's done as a person."
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Isaiah Hartenstein reflects on Russell Westbrook's retirement: 'Great teammate'
