The Oklahoma City Thunder saw a franchise legend call it a career, as future Hall of Famer Russell Westbrook announced his retirement after 18 seasons in the NBA, 11 of which he spent in Oklahoma City after the team moved from Seattle.
Westbrook's historically gaudy statistical excellence, role on some of the best Thunder teams ever, and loyalty to the franchise will make him a figure that will forever rank among the elite in this franchise's history.
Is that enough for Westbrook to be considered the best player in franchise history? As a quick note, these rankings include both the Thunder and the Seattle SuperSonics, and the Top 10 is based only on their contributions with Seattle or Oklahoma City.
Top 10 players in Oklahoma City Thunder history: Where is Russell Westbrook?
Honorable Mentions: Rashard Lewis, Xavier McDaniel, Dale Ellis, Nate McMillan, Detlef Schrempf
10. Ray Allen
Allen's Hall of Fame career included stops in Milwaukee and Boston, but it can be argued that he was at the peak of his powers in Seattle. Allen, who averaged 24.6 points per game while making 39% of his 3-pointers with the Sonics, was named an All-Star in each of the four full seasons in the Pacific Northwest and helped them make the Western Conference semifinals in 2004-05.
9. Fred Brown
The man they called "Downtown Freddie Brown" still ranks second all-time in franchise history in games played. A one-time All-Star and one-team player who averaged 14.6 points per game over 13 seasons with Seattle, Brown still ranks fourth all-time in franchise history in points scored.
8. Gus Williams
A starting guard on the 1978-79 champions, Williams made two All-NBA teams and finished in the top-eight in MVP voting twice despite his holdout. His prime was short, but Williams at his best was brilliant, so much so that he has a legitimate Hall of Fame case as the architect of a champion Sonics team.
7. Jack Sikma
Sikma is still the franchise's all-time leading rebounder. For seven years between 1978-79 and 1984-85, Sikma, one of the best defensive centers of his era, averaged a double-double and made an All-Star team in each campaign. Throw in elite passing and leadership, and you get perhaps the best big man in franchise history.
6. Spencer Haywood
Haywood only spent five of his 13 NBA seasons with the Sonics, but the former ABA MVP and Hall of Famer had the best stint of his career in green and yellow. Haywood made four straight All-NBA teams (two First Team selections) between 1970-71 and 1974-75, averaging 25.4 points and 12.1 rebounds per game in that span. Haywood's stardom helped establish the Sonics as a robust NBA franchise.
5. Shawn Kemp
The Reign Man may have lost some of his luster during the end of his career, but Seattle will always remember him fondly. A double-double machine who moonlighted as one of the greatest dunkers in NBA history, Kemp was named to six All-Star teams, three All-NBA teams, and finished in the top 10 in MVP voting thrice.
4. Gary Payton
Payton's individual accomplishments in Seattle include nine All-Star teams, nine First Team All-Defensive selections (all in a row, mind you), and finishing in the top-six in Defensive Player of the Year voting seven times on the bounce with one victory.
Payton, who had eight top-six MVP finishes and averaged 18.2 points and 7.4 assists per game to go along with his lockdown play, has a claim for the title of best on-ball defensive guard in history.
3. Kevin Durant
At the peak of his powers, no Thunder or Sonics player may come close to Durant. The best pure scorer the franchise has ever seen, Durant won four scoring titles in five years (while averaged 27.4 points per game in his OKC career), took home an MVP in 2013-14, and finished as the runner-up three additional times.
Ultimately, Durant's inability to break through in the NBA Finals and sudden departure knock him down a peg. However, his quality as a player is undeniable.
2. Russell Westbrook
While he did not age as gracefully as many other Hall of Fame players, Westbrook's prime was as dominant and unique as that of any point guard in NBA history. Averaging a triple-double was once thought to be a mythical feat on-par with 100 points in a game or Joe DiMaggio's 56-game hitting streak. Then Westbrook did it. And then he did it two more times consecutively with the Thunder.
With eight All-Star nods, an MVP of his own, and two scoring titles, Westbrook's Hall of Fame legacy was built on the Oklahoma City record book he ripped up and rewrote.
1. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander
Some players in franchise history have won a championship. Some have won an MVP. Only one of them has done both.
It is only a matter of time before SGA starts replacing Westbrook as the franchise's all-time leading scorer, and the assist record could be within reach too. Back-to-back MVPs and four straight seasons of scoring at least 30 points per game suggest that Gilgeous-Alexander is not slowing down anytime soon.
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