Russell Westbrook's Thunder Jersey Retirement Announced in Hype Video for NBA Legend

The Oklahoma City Thunder announced they'll retire Russell Westbrook's No. 0 jersey on Feb. 7, 2027.

The nine-time All-Star will be the first player honored exclusively for his time in OKC.

Westbrook's rookie season was the Thunder's inaugural year in Oklahoma City in 2008-09. Across an 11-year period, he and the team went on quite the journey.

There was the Thunder's run to the 2012 Finals with Westbrook, Kevin Durant and James Harden and then the what-if created by Harden's exit the following offseason.

OKC remained a contender with Westbrook and Durant but couldn't advance past the Western Conference Finals in 2014 or 2016.

The Thunder's championship window slammed shut with KD's exit in the summer of 2016, but that allowed Westbrook to shine brighter than he ever had. He was the MVP in 2016-17 after averaging a triple-double with 31.6 points, 10.7 rebounds and 10.4 assists.

The fans' connection to Russ deepened as well because he was the star who stuck around.

General manager Sam Presti made one last roll of the dice by acquiring Paul George, which resulted in a pair of first-round exits. By the 2019 offseason, the writing was on the wall. George got traded to the Los Angeles Clippers, and Westbrook was routed to the Houston Rockets shortly thereafter.

The numbers speak for themselves as to Westbrook's overall contributions. Since the christening of the Thunder era, no OKC player has more points, rebounds, assists or steals than him.