OKC Thunder legend Russell Westbrook has officially announced his retirement from professional basketball after an illustrious, action-packed 18-year career.
The response to such news has been overwhelmingly positive and supportive, with NBA players both past and present giving the Brodie his flowers all across social media.
Unsurprisingly, however, polarizing sports personality and long-time hater, Skip Bayless, couldn't help but take one parting shot at Westbrook, as he did so many times throughout his playing days, recording a video of himself ranting on and on about how, in his eyes, Russ "would not be in my Hall of Fame," elaborating further by saying "I don't hate the player, but I guess I hate the game."
While Bayless would at least acknowledge and praise "how hard Russell Westbrook played the game of basketball," in the end, he had to lean back on the same old, tired-out narrative that his game "didn't amount to much team success."
Skip isn't the only person who believes such a claim. For years, Westbrook has received ample criticism for this particular sentiment.
However, though it may be a popular talking point, the facts don't lie.
Despite popular belief, Thunder legend led teams to ample success
For his career, Westbrook holds an impressive winning record of 802–634 (including regular season and playoffs), and, with him leading the charge as franchise point guard, guided the Thunder to their first 60-win season back in 2012-13.
Throughout his career, Westbrook saw playoff action in 14 of his 18 years, with three Western Conference Finals appearances and, back in 2012, an NBA Finals berth.
This team success was also grouped in with his unbelievable individual efforts as well, ones that led him to become the highest-scoring point guard in league history with 27,176 regular season points, the all-time leader in triple-doubles recorded with 209, and dishing out the fifth-most assists ever registered with 10,351.
Add all of this to the fact that he's a nine-time All-Star, a nine-time All-NBA honoree, a two-time scoring champion, won a league MVP award, and earned an Olympic Gold Medal playing for Team USA back in 2012, and it's undeniable that his status as a top-75 player of all-time is undeniably safe, let alone his claim to a spot in the Hall of Fame once he becomes eligible for induction.
A player of Westbrook's status is truly legendary, which is why the expectation is that he not only will have his Thunder jersey retired into the rafters out at Paycom Center, but also will have his name enshrined in the halls out in Springfield.
Bayless' shameless shots won't change this much-deserved reality.
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