Former Thunder Star Russell Westbrook Reaches 25,000 Career Points
A former Thunder superstar joined an elite club on Friday.
With a 23-point performance in Detroit, Russell Westbrook reached 25,000 career points. Westbrook, now with the LA Clippers, became the 29th player in NBA history to reach the milestone and joined LeBron James and former Thunder teammates Kevin Durant and James Harden as the only active players to hit the mark.
Westbrook is now the first guard with 25,000 points, 9,000 assists and 8,000 rebounds, joining James as the only other player. The nine-time All-Star became known for his all-around skillset while with the Thunder.
Scoring 18,859 points with Oklahoma City, Westbrook is the franchise’s all-time leading scorer and became one of the league’s best players in his first 11 seasons. Alongside stars like Durant, Westbrook helped Oklahoma City become one of the NBA’s most successful teams.
During Westbrook’s tenure, the Thunder made nine playoff appearances, including a trip to the 2012 NBA Finals and three other Western Conference Finals runs. In 98 playoff games with the Thunder, Westbrook averaged 25.4 points and 7.9 assists.
Before becoming the league’s all-time leader in triple-doubles as a Washington Wizard, Westbrook became the first player since Oscar Robertson to average a triple-double. By averaging 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists, the Thunder star earned his lone MVP in 2016-17.
That was the first of three straight seasons in which he averaged a triple-double. In 2018-19, Westbrook’s final season with the Thunder, he became the first player in league history to have multiple scoring and assist titles.
Although Westbrook has accomplished nearly every statistical feat imaginable, he is still searching for an NBA championship. Including a few heartbreaking playoff losses with the Thunder, the future Hall of Famer is hoping to win his first ring this season with the Clippers.
Even if Westbrook is unable to win a title, his career will go down as one of the greatest ever. He is also a lock to join Nick Collison and become the second player to have his jersey retired in Oklahoma City.
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