Aug. 21, 2026, 12:01 p.m. CT
When a basketball pantheon like Russell Westbrook calls it a career, everybody in the NBA world comes out to show their congratulations — both former and current all-time greats. The future Hall-of-Famer announced his retirement on Aug. 12. Since then, he’s been celebrated by everybody.
Including from a Hall-of-Famer who’s commonly argued as the greatest point guard of all time. Magic Johnson took to social media to show his respect to Westbrook after a legendary 18-season career. Both are widely regarded as some of the best point guards the NBA has ever seen.
“I want to congratulate Russell Westbrook on his retirement from the NBA after an extraordinary hall of fame basketball career!,” Johnson wrote. “Russell’s the most athletic point guard that the NBA has ever seen and his dominance led him to become the NBA’s all-time leader in regular season triple-doubles.”
Of course, Westbrook is one of the NBA’s era-defining superstars of the 2010s. He was their version of sheer rockstar music. The triple-double machine is one of the handful of players you think of when you think of the past era of hoops. He’s a one-time MVP winner, perennial All-Star and constantly logged video-game-esque numbers on a title contender.
Alongside Kevin Durant, Westbrook co-starred on the Oklahoma City Thunder. The two-man NBA megastar duo put the small-market franchise on the map from the jump. Even though they never brought home a Larry O’Brien trophy, consistent deep playoff runs had them on national TV as often as the league’s most glamorous franchises.
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Most know who Johnson is. If you need a quick refresher course, he’s a three-time MVP and five-time NBA champion. He was an All-Star a dozen times. Most view him as arguably the greatest player in Los Angeles Lakers history — if not a close second. He’s a no-brainer to have on most folks’ top-10 players ever lists.
So poetic to see Johnson give Westbrook his flowers. Their relationship had a pretty rocky start. If you recall, Johnson — who was an ESPN analyst at the time — called Westbrook the worst starting point guard in NBA Finals history back in 2012. That sparked plenty of headlines as the Thunder went on to lose to the Miami Heat in five games.
But over a dozen years later, Johnson has changed his opinion. Westbrook has grown from that moment and turned into one of the most ferocious NBA superstars the league has ever seen. Whether you loved his game or hated it, everybody surely had a strong stance on his 100-MPH-esque playstyle.
“The two things I admire most about Russell – he never cheated the game, and his passion for giving back to Los Angeles through his numerous philanthropic endeavors,” Johnson continued. “May God continue to bless him and his family!”