How Russell Westbrook's Forgotten Wizards Stint Revitalized His Career

The former MVP suddenly announced his retirement this week, giving fans a chance to reflect back on his whirlwind one-and-done stop with the Washington Wizards.

May 20, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook (4) reacts after making a basket during the third quarter against the Indiana Pacers at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Russell Westbrook suddenly announced his retirement this afternoon, a notice that stopped the rest of the NBA in its tracks. Longtime fans, members of the media, former employers and players both past and present have come together to commemorate the future Hall of Famer, who drew the curtains on his legendary playing career on his own terms.

Sometimes you don’t even know when you’ve already watched the end.

You had to be there. And now it’s over. pic.twitter.com/6YoOW8WyIV

— Russell Westbrook (@russwest44) August 12, 2026

The reveal encouraged the basketball-loving masses to spin back through the annals of his legendary career, and he's offered plenty to pore through over the last 18 years. Triple-doubles, game-winners, poster dunks over unsuspecting centers, All-Star Games, an MVP for the ages.

Easily lost in the shuffle of his Oklahoma City Thunder-centric tribute, though, are the days he enjoyed as a still-productive star following his departure from the team with which he spent his first 11 seasons. And as most NBA fans can attest, arguably no franchise squeezed more enjoyment out of Westbrook than the Washington Wizards.

Westbrook's Iconic Wizards Fit

He didn't earn an All-Star berth in D.C. like he did as a Houston Rocket, the one-and-done stop he committed to during the 2019-20 season, but he flourished as Washington's point guard. They'd traded John Wall to Houston partially due to his own struggles to remain on the court, allowing Westbrook to step into that same ball-dominant role as the Wizards' primary playmaker.

And he did just that, appearing in all but nine games throughout the trying 2020-21 schedule. In a season defined by COVID-19 precautions and hardship contracts, Westbrook provided some of the last consistent greatness of his career.

Apr 21, 2021; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Washington Wizards guard Russell Westbrook (4) celebrates with Wizards guard Bradley Beal (3) after their game against the Golden State Warriors at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Bradley Beal made for a much smoother fit alongside Westbrook's own hyper-specific skillset than offensively-controlling superstar James Harden was, with the score-first guard allowing the former MVP to dictate the pace and ball-movement while Beal focused on his lead-scoring duties. The longtime-Wizard averaged a career-high 31.3 points per game that year en route to his first All-NBA appearance thanks to the relief Westbrook provided, and the two would end up dragging their hodgepodge supporting cast into the playoffs following a 16-6 close to the 74-game season.

OTD in 2021 - Bradley Beal and Russell Westbrook hit back to back threes to erase a 5pt deficit in the final 10 seconds of the game to take down Kyrie and KD Nets in a CRAZY Finish

Russ ended with 41-10-8, Beal 37 ptspic.twitter.com/6Ka1T53FhB

— Lukas (@KBsLakeShow24) January 31, 2026

Though they were swiftly gentleman's swept by the top-seeded Philadelphia 76ers in the first round of that postseason, Westbrook departed that season as a big winner. He was a galvanizing force on and off the court in D.C., proving that he didn't need a team built just for him like he had with the center-less Rockets, and he entered that following offseason with a few new triple-double records in his pocket to make up for his relative lack of league-wide credit.

The End of the Good Times

As fun as those five playoff games were, no one had any false reservations on that iteration of the Wizards. Competing in that series was their ceiling, and Westbrook was smart enough to know that he'd hit it.

He didn't stick around Washington long after temporarily-reviving the organization alongside his own stock, soon requesting and accepting a trade to his hometown Los Angeles Lakers- but not before trying to convince Beal to similarly hit the road on his own.

What followed was a decision that seemed to make some sense in the moment, at least considering Westbrook's ambitions to win his first-ever NBA ring: he joined up with LeBron James, the most surefire-teammate for anyone chasing championship glory to pick. He and Anthony Davis won the 2020 title together a little within a year of orchestrating the Westbrook acquisition, and James himself had operated as the protagonist of nine of the last 11 NBA Finals matchups to that point.

Dec 28, 2021; Houston, Texas, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James (6) and guard Russell Westbrook (0) react after time expires in the fourth quarter of the game against the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

Unfortunately for everyone involved, Westbrook cratered with the Lakers. His streaky jumpshot found the bottom of his 3-point attempts under 30% of the time, but even more shockingly, he seemed to be losing touch of his off-the-dribble scoring game in real time. No one was happy over the course of their 33-win campaign, and Westbrook was cast into journeyman status within two years of excitedly returning to Los Angeles.

From there came a string of stops ranging from passable to forgettable for the one-time superstar. His time with the cross-town Los Angeles Clippers offered a mixed bag of results, but his Denver Nuggets contributions unquestionably outweighed his time with the Sacramento Kings, the last team he'd end up partnering with before calling it a career.

The Wizards, meanwhile, ended up benefitting from the assets the Lakers sacrificed in favor of Westbrook. A slew of role players including Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and, most infamous of all, Kyle Kuzma, ended up kickstarting a much stranger era of pre-rebuilding Wizards basketball, though the franchise would go on to flip those loose parts into a meaningful foundation.

Kuzma, notably, enjoyed a few years of low-stakes hoops before getting shipped to the Milwaukee Bucks, thereby beginning a chain of trades that eventually resulted in D.C. getting its hands on Davis.

Dec 4, 2022; Washington, District of Columbia, USA; Los Angeles Lakers forward Anthony Davis (3) reacts with Washington Wizards forward Kyle Kuzma (33) after the game at Capital One Arena. Mandatory Credit: Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

While the former Westbrook teammate prepares to commence a new career chapter in Washington, the city can take advantage of this retirement announcement by looking back favorably on that surprisingly-entertaining time to be a Wizards fan. The current front office's plans to compete would imply that the well-thought-out process should soon invite results, but there's nothing like the undeniable, relentless impact that Westbrook provided during his latter days as a star.

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