Russell Westbrook’s retirement hit Klay Thompson hard.
Speaking on PlaqueBoyMax’s live stream, the Dallas Mavericks guard reflected on Westbrook’s decision to step away from the NBA after 18 seasons and made it clear how much respect he has for one of the league’s defining players.
“Seeing Russ hang it up kind of made me a little emotional because we had so many great battles, and he’s one of the greatest players of our generation,” Thompson said, via NBA Central on X.
Westbrook announced his retirement on Wednesday, saying he wanted to go out on his own terms. The decision came after reports that multiple teams were interested in signing him in free agency.
For Thompson and Westbrook, the connection has long been forged through heavyweight matchups, and none loomed larger than the 2016 NBA playoffs. That Western Conference Finals between Thompson’s Golden State Warriors and Westbrook’s Oklahoma City Thunder turned into a bruising series, one the Warriors eventually won after climbing out of a 3-1 hole.
Thompson’s big Game 6 in that series helped swing the momentum, and the Warriors’ run from there altered the league’s landscape. It also set the stage for Kevin Durant’s move to Golden State, leaving Westbrook and the Thunder behind in free agency.
In a way, Thompson was part of the reason Westbrook never got that championship ring before retiring. But that’s the price of fierce competition. Westbrook pushed Thompson and everyone else he faced, night after night, because no matter the shooting line or the turnover total, he was going to empty the tank.
Westbrook’s exit also serves as a reminder of where Thompson stands in his own career. He’s 36 now, and his history of serious lower-body injuries makes the conversation about time feel a little closer than it used to.
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