Russell Westbrook on Return vs. Thunder: 'I Don't Regret Anything I Did Here'

Houston Rockets point guard Russell Westbrook told reporters that he has no regrets about his time with the Oklahoma City Thunder, where he played for 11 seasons before a July trade sent him to Texas:

On Thursday, Westbrook returned to OKC's Chesapeake Energy Arena as a member of the visiting team for the first time since the deal. The two-time NBA scoring champion dropped a game-high 34 points, but the Thunder crushed the Rockets 113-92 behind five OKC players with 15 or more.

The eight-time All-Star also provided other remarks, noting that he felt like he was "home," per ESPN's Rachel Nichols. Westbrook also said it was strange to go into the visitors' locker room, noting that he had "never been in there."

Thunder fans gave him a raucous ovation upon his return, and the team produced a tribute video released pregame:

The ex-UCLA Bruin acknowledged the fans' adoration, which continued into pregame introductions:

Westbrook averaged a triple-double in each of his last three seasons in a Thunder uniform. 

He shouldn't have any regrets about his OKC tenure. Although it didn't end with a championship, the Thunder made the 2012 NBA Finals and reached the Western Conference Finals four times with Westbrook running the point. He won the 2016-17 NBA MVP and helped lead OKC to the playoffs in all but two of his 11 seasons there.

He and Kevin Durant formed one of the league's best one-two punches for the first half of the 2010s, when they had a winning percentage of .671 or greater from 2010-11 to 2013-14.

Durant's departure in 2016 for the Golden State Warriors caused some regression in Oklahoma City. Partnerships with Paul George and Carmelo Anthony ultimately did not work out, as the team lost in the first round of the playoffs from 2017 to 2019.

Still, Westbrook was largely sensational in Oklahoma City, where he's clearly beloved, as Thursday's fan reaction showed.

There will be no return trip to play OKC this year barring a Rockets-Thunder postseason matchup. However, Houston will host Oklahoma City on Monday, Jan. 20, in the two teams' final meeting of the 2019-20 campaign.