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Thunder now have painfully obvious Russell Westbrook decision to make

ByMark Nilon|
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Mar 13, 2019; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) celebrates after scoring against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 13, 2019; Oklahoma City, OK, USA; Oklahoma City Thunder guard Russell Westbrook (0) celebrates after scoring against the Brooklyn Nets during the second half at Chesapeake Energy Arena. Mandatory Credit: Alonzo Adams-USA TODAY Sports | USA TODAY Sports

OKC Thunder legend Russell Westbrook has decided to call it a career.

Just days after publicly stating during an interview with CNN that it's "my plan" to play another season in the NBA, adding, "I love playing basketball," the veteran guard took to social media to announce his retirement.

Though it's been nearly a decade since Westbrook served as a member of the Thunder, the 28,330 minutes he suited up for with the organization undoubtedly helped make him an all-time legend of the club.

Because of this, Oklahoma City has one painfully obvious decision to make in the wake of the Brodie's retirement: hoist No. 0 into the rafters out at Paycom Center as soon as humanly possible.

Thunder must add Russell Westbrook to retired jersey collection

Right now, the Thunder organization has a total of eight numbers retired, one of which is Bill Russell's No. 6 (league-wide retirement), and six of which are from their Seattle SuperSonics days.

Nick Collison is currently the only player who actually played for the Thunder with his number hanging in the rafters.

Without question, Westbrook is bound to join him.

The point guard spent 11 incredibly successful seasons leading the Thunder as their cornerstone point guard. In the process, he established himself not only as a superstar in the league but also arguably the team's G.O.A.T.

Throughout his OKC career, Westbrook built up a Hall of Fame-worthy resume that includes eight All-Star selections, eight All-NBA nods, a 2017 NBA MVP award, three-straight seasons of averaging a triple-double (26.8 points, 10.6 rebounds, and 10.4 assists from 2016-17 through 2018-19), and career averages of 23.0 points, 8.4 assists, 7.0 rebounds, and 1.8 steals per game.

On top of this, he leads all players throughout the organization's Sooner State history in a bevy of all-time statistical categories, including, though not limited to, points (18,859), assists (6,897), rebounds (5,760), and steals (1,442).

Even off the court, Westbrook has ingrained himself as a part of the fabric of Oklahoma City culture. From his charitable endeavors to his partnership with Echo Investment Capital, Russ has always made it a priority of his to give back to the city he credits with raising him.

Just a couple of seasons back, well after his initial departure from the Thunder, Westbrook went as far as to say, "Anything that's happening in Oklahoma City, for the future and for the growth of Oklahoma City, I will be a part of it."

Now, it's time for the Thunder to make sure that Westbrook will forever be a legendary part of their glorious history by raising his jersey into the rafters as soon as they possibly can.

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