Once the tears were wiped away and the emotional gut punch leveled down, Oklahoma City Thunder fans quickly moved on to a pair of million-dollar questions — when will Russell Westbrook get his No. 0 jersey retired and a statue sculpted out of him?
Westbrook called it a career on Wednesday. He officially announced his retirement from the NBA after 18 seasons. Even if you're his biggest hater, the 37-year-old is universally viewed as a first-ballot Hall-of-Famer. There will be little suspense when he becomes eligible to join the prestigious club.
Even if the latter half of his career turned into a journeyman role, Westbrook will be remembered for what he did at the front nine. He spent 11 seasons on the Thunder from 2008-19. In that time, he co-starred
with Kevin Durant in OKC's first title contender.
That's when Westbrook turned into an NBA superstar — and eventually, a global celebrity. His career resume speaks for itself. He's a one-time MVP winner, nine-time All-Star, nine-time All-NBA member, two-time scoring champion and three-time assist champion. He averaged a triple-double for four seasons — a statistical feat that had only happened once in the past 55 years by Oscar Robertson.
On a team level, the Thunder were in the title conversation throughout the 2010s. They had one NBA Finals trip and four Western Conference Finals appearances. Westbrook was one of the top NBA superstars at the peak of his powers. And according to one former teammate, he's easily garnered enough success to get the ultimate honor.
ESPN's Kendrick Perkins believes Westbrook should get his No. 0 jersey retired and a statue built. The two were teammates on the Thunder for four-and-a-half seasons from 2011-15. Even though he occasionally drums up some spicy opinions, the one-time NBA champion received unanimous praise for brainstorming his recommendations.
"Not only should he have his jersey retired in Oklahoma City, but he should have a statue out there as well," Perkins said. "Because after SGA, Russ, in my eyes, is the 2nd-greatest Thunder of all time."
Think Perkins will eventually be proven correct. As Westbrook's career entered its final legs, Thunder fans everywhere have repeated the same thought. They think it's a no-brainer to give OKC both honors. And I think so, too. Just a matter of when, not if.
Westbrook's No. 0 should join Nick Collison's No. 4 in the rafters sooner rather than later. Same with a statue. Although I think the latter would be better off waiting until OKC's new arena opens up in the 2028-29 season. Regardless of when those two things happen, Westbrook will forever be linked to his time on the Thunder.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: Russell Westbrook's ex-teammate believes Thunder should retire jersey, build statue
