Haliburton Says Russell Westbrook is Top 3 in Players to Never Win Championship

In a podcast conversation on Numbers on the Board, Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton had high-praise for Russell Westbrook.

Dec 8, 2025; Indianapolis, Indiana, USA; Indiana Pacers guard Tyrese Haliburton (0) and Sacramento Kings guard Russell Westbrook (18) in the first half at Gainbridge Fieldhouse. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After 18 seasons in the NBA, Russell Westbrook announced his retirement from the NBA.

The explosive point guard who spent a majority of his playing time with the Oklahoma City Thunder had a terrific career. He averaged a triple-double in 4 of his 18 seasons, was a nine-time All-Star, made the All-NBA team nine times, won the All-Star MVP twice, led the league in scoring twice, led the league in assists three times and was voted as the MVP of the 2016-17 season.

That's an impressive résumé with only an NBA Championship missing from it.

In a podcast conversation with Numbers on the Board, Indiana Pacers franchise point guard told the fellas that he believes Russell Westbrook is one of the best to never win a title, "If he did retire, then salute to a legend. I think he's personally up there first, second, or third, if you're picking players who have never won a championship."

The guys then went through a list of players who never won a title that would be in that conversation with Westbrook. Allen Iverson, Chris Paul, and Carmelo Anthony were specifically brought up, but the list is long. It just goes to show how difficult it is to win it all in this league and how winning a championship shouldn't define a player's career.

Haliubrton on Playing Against Westbrook

As the conversation pivoted, Haliburton shared what it was like going up against Westbrook throughout his career:

"What an unbelievable career. I feel like I have so many memories of playing against him. Whatever you guys see on TV and whatever you think it is, it's that. But just imagine that [level of] physicality is actually hitting you. He's unbelievable."

But it wasn't just the on-court interactions Haliburton remembers. He shared some insight on his interactions with Westbrook off-court:

"[He's] such a good dude. All of the conversations we've ever had have been awesome. So, salute to him."

Russell Westbrook played a total of 12 games against Tyrese Haliburton throughout his career. In those 12 games, Westbrook averaged 17.6 points, 7.2 rebounds, and 6.9 assists per game. The former MVP has the edge in the head-to-head matchups against Haliburton with a 7-5 record.

Mar 6, 2018; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives to the basket in front of Houston Rockets guard Chris Paul (3) during the fourth quarter at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Mark D. Smith-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

With Westbrook joining Chris Paul and Kyle Lowry in retirement over the last 6 months, it truly feels like the chapter is quickly closing on one of the most memorable eras of the NBA.

Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, LeBron James, James Harden, DeMar Derozan, Mike Conley Jr., Al Horford, Jrue Holiday, Brook Lopez, and DeAndre Jordan are the only pre-2009 NBA Draft players still on active rosters. Other notable names like Nicolas Batum, Kevin Love, and Jeff Green are unrestricted free agents.

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