New Delhi, Aug. 13 -- Russell Westbrook, the explosive guard who played 18 NBA seasons across seven teams, announced his retirement on social media on Wednesday (August 12), closing the book on one of the most statistically dominant careers in league history. Notably, Westbrook had offers this offseason from the Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards but chose to step away on his own terms rather than continue in a reduced role.

"Sometimes you don't even know when you've already watched the end," Westbrook said in the post. "You had to be there. And now it's over."

After two seasons at UCLA, Russell Westbrook was selected No. 4 overall in the 2008 NBA draft by the Seattle SuperSonics. The franchise relocated to Oklahoma City that summe...