Russell Westbrook recently declared his retirement from the NBA after spending 18 years in the league. He won the 2017 NBA MVP award and leads the league with the most career triple-doubles, along with his nine NBA All-Star selections.
He ended his career averaging 20.9 points, 8.0 assists, and 6.9 rebounds while shooting 43.8% from the floor. Yet, the final years of his career in pursuit of a championship ended up being one of the worst falls from grace for a former superstar.
So much so that some of the new generation of basketball players don’t even know who he is. A video recently went viral on social media in which a young child approaches Russell Westbrook and asks if he was a real NBA player.
“Some days. I used to be back in the day, back in my young days,” Westbrook said as he coached young kids at his 2026 ‘Why Not?’ basketball camp.
A young NBA fan: “Are you a real NBA player?”
Russell Westbrook: “Some days. I used to be back in the day… back in my younger days.”
😢😢😢
(h/t @CourtsideBuzzX) pic.twitter.com/Sl1WZpANlU
— Fullcourtpass (@Fullcourtpass) August 20, 2026
NBA fans were heartbroken after hearing Westbrook’s response. They took to social media and flooded it with flowers for the 37-year-old veteran.
“‘Back in my young days’ 😭😭 Kids don’t know how great Russ was.”
“Even toddlers are disrespecting my goat.”
“These kids will never truly see another player like Westbrook. I feel bad for them.”
“This bouta put tears in my eyes. Next generation will never truly know how good Brodie was…”
“Should still be in the NBA producing for a contender. The Nuggets trade (Peyton Watson) yesterday showed us most of these executives have no clue how to build a basketball team.”
“That Kid ain’t even aware he just heard the saddest sentence of all time. ”
Initially, it seemed like the lack of significant offers in the NBA forced Westbrook into retirement. But it was later revealed that Westbrook still had offers on the table from the Wizards and the Kings; he reportedly balked and decided to walk away on his own terms.
Draymond Green blames fans, and Patrick Beverley blames the media. But honestly, this is a classic case of not appreciating what you have until it is gone.
There were speculations that Westbrook could consider a media role, like starting a podcast or playing in the Big3 league. Still, this video shows that coaching could be the next calling in Russell Westbrook’s career.
Do you think Russell Westbrook should begin coaching? If he begins coaching professionals, I believe he is capable, and it could be a route for him to win an NBA championship someday finally. Let us know what you think in the comments section.
