In one of the biggest moves of the summer, Russell Westbrook announced his NBA retirement on Aug.12. After 18 seasons, the future Hall-of-Famer put away his sneakers for good. The 37-year-old will be remembered for being one of the era-defining NBA superstars of the 2010s.
Westbrook enjoyed his best years with the Oklahoma City Thunder. He spent his first 11 seasons there. In that time, he became a one-time MVP winner, an eight-time All-Star and an eight-time All-NBA member. He completely redefined the triple-double statistical achievement.
Alongside Kevin Durant, Westbrook co-starred on OKC's first title contender. The Thunder had one NBA Finals trip and four Western Conference Finals appearances in their eight seasons together. Another key piece
to that run who goes under the radar because of his short time there? James Harden.
Westbrook and Harden will forever be linked as two NBA megastars who rivaled — and complemented — each other in the 2010s. Harden took to social media to congratulate Westbrook on his retirement.
"Love you foo! Proud of you," Harden wrote in an Instagram story.
It’s gonna be a sad day too when Harden is done. No guards ever filled up the stat sheets like these 2 did ❤️ pic.twitter.com/r0W7IKlXqd
— 𝙀𝙧𝙖 (@TheWestbrookEra) August 12, 2026
Of course, most know about Harden's brief time on the Thunder. He spent three seasons there. In that time, he, Durant and Westbrook quickly morphed OKC into a title contender. As the third piece of that superstar trio, Harden captured the Sixth Man of the Year award in his third year. He helped them reach the 2012 NBA Finals as one of the youngest teams ever.
That turned out to be Harden's final year in OKC. He was notoriously traded to the Houston Rockets in one of the more lopsided trades in NBA history. For a myriad of reasons, the Thunder couldn't afford to keep him around for the long term alongside Durant and Westbrook. He eventually blossomed into an NBA superstar and one-time MVP winner in his time in Houston.
As rivals, Westbrook and Harden squared off in a heated 2016-17 MVP race. Both were one-man machines who were two of the most statistically dominant players in league history. Both flirted with being 30-point triple-double machines. Harden, in particular, is one of the best high-volume scorers ever — putting up video-game numbers on a nightly basis.
And even though Westbrook and Harden were only teammates on the Thunder for two seasons, the two eventually reunited a couple of other times in their careers — first on the Rockets in the 2019-20 season and second on the LA Clippers in the 2023-24 season.
Westbrook and Harden are two of the biggest characters of the NBA's 2010s era. They put up insane statistics and have trophy cases filled to the brim. Even though they remain ringless, they're both basketball pantheons that captured the NBA world's attention for over a decade. You can't tell the league's history without mentioning the peak of their respective powers.
While Harden is still in the league, the 36-year-old likely isn't far off from joining Westbrook in NBA retirement. The latter is one of the first big names of the 2010s to call it a career. Showing Gen Z NBA fans — who saw both put up Space Jam numbers in their childhood — just how cruel and swift Father Time can be.
This article originally appeared on OKC Thunder Wire: James Harden shows Russell Westbrook love after NBA retirement: 'Proud of you'
