Russell Westbrook and Chris Paul have taken their competition from the court to the vacation itinerary, with the two former Houston Rockets point guards spending time together after retiring from the NBA.
It’s a fitting pairing for two players whose careers have crossed paths so often. Westbrook and Paul are both future Hall of Famers, and both men wore the uniforms of the Oklahoma City Thunder, the Los Angeles Clippers and the Rockets during their careers.
Their Houston connection still stands out because of the 2019 trade that sent Paul from the Rockets to Oklahoma City in exchange for Westbrook. That deal brought Westbrook to Houston and sent Paul back to the Thunder, where he was reunited with his former teammate James Harden.
Neither guard was able to finish his career with an NBA championship, even though both reached the NBA Finals. Westbrook’s 18-season career ended with averages of 20.9 points, eight assists, 6.9 rebounds, 1.6 steals and 0.3 blocks per game. In 57 games with Houston, he put up 27.2 points, seven assists, 7.9 rebounds and 1.6 steals.
Paul’s resume stretches across 21 seasons, and his career numbers sit at 16.8 points, 9.2 assists, 4.4 rebounds, two steals and 0.2 blocks per game. In 116 games with the Rockets, he averaged 17.1 points, eight assists, five rebounds and 1.8 steals.
For Rockets fans, Paul’s time in Houston is often remembered more warmly, especially for his role in helping Harden and the team reach the 2018 Western Conference Finals.
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Alperen Sengun and Amen Thompson sit at the center of it all, which is why the stakes feel so high. Both are expected to be central pieces if the Rockets are going to make a real leap, and Thompsons extension only raises the urgency around what this group can become. If Houston is still stuck at the same level when the time comes, the franchise may have to confront a much bigger conversation about the direction of the entire core. [Read more 🡒]